Stories - everyone has one
by Cyan McKenzie
Summary: Time traveling Bella goes back to the 1980s to complete an internship and spend time with her father as her mother remarries. At first she finds the past not all that different from the future, but she quickly learns that mythological creatures exists and that she is falling for them. It closely parallels the original series, but has twists and turns of its own.
1. Chapter 1 to 3

Introduction (Chapters 1 to 3)

Stories – everyone has one. Some are perhaps more interesting than others. Time traveling Bella Swan learns this as she travels back in time to the 1980s and discovers that storybook creatures are indeed real. Not only do they exist, but she finds herself falling hopelessly in love with them even if it means risking everything. Life as an expiration date, but does love? As Bells falls further in love, she is about to learn the answer to that question. Will time run out for her? Only time will tell. Stories is a tale as old as time – full of forbidden love and dark secrets. It is a classic B _eauty and the Beast_ meets _Twilight, Pride and Prejudice_ , and _Romeo and Juliet_ mash-up.

I've had a Siren character and a Bigfoot character in my head for a few years now that have wanted me to tell their stories. They seemed to mesh will with Stephanie Meyer's masterful Twilight. So, I dabbled with her characters a little and introduced them to my own characters. I am ever so grateful with Meyer's generosity to allow us this opportunity. She has some memorable and entertaining characters. Why else would thousands of us play with them as well?

Thank you, Stephanie Meyer. You have inspired countless others!

And thank you fellow readers and writers for your own inspirational creations!

* * *

Monday, September 1, 2087 to Monday, September 7, 1987 (Labor Day)

Going back to the 1980s wasn't exactly going to be fun. And going to Houston wasn't going to be so hot either. Well, actually it was going to be hot. Oh, so very hot. And humid. And sticky. And mosquito infested. And . . . . bittersweet.

I scowled as I crammed my last acceptable t-shirt into my suitcase. I chipped a nail on the side of my metal case and turned away so that my mother wouldn't see what I had done. Forcefully and altogether too clumsily, I shoved my shirt further into the suitcase, but in the process, I succeeded in sliding my entire suitcase off my satin comforter and onto the industrial gray tiled floor of my bedroom. As my clothing spilled out onto the floor, I sighed in frustration.

My mom giggled as she and I bent down to clean up the mess. "Oh, Bella."

"Don't start on me, Mom."

Luckily, she didn't.

I looked at my outfits that were now scattered across the floor and just hoped that I had enough. Most of my futuristic clothing would be out of place in the 1980s, but my mom and I managed to come up with something we hoped would be acceptable for the time period and yet comfortable enough for me.

"You don't have to do this." My mother brushed a lock of my long, brown hair from my face. She had a sad little smile and I know that when she looked at my brown hair and eyes she thought about my father. As she withdrew her hand, she snapped her French manicured fingers against her thumb and one of her silver studded robot servants zipped my suitcase up for me before trundling it away.

"Mom," I grabbed her small hand and gave it a little squeeze, "I'll have to take a time traveling internship soon. It might as well be now while you and Phil are settling into your new life together. It just make sense."  
Tersely, she nodded. Not a single strand of her polished red hair moved from her sleek up-do. "I hate to see you go." She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.

"I know, but it won't be forever."

She set the handkerchief aside and then drew me into a bone crushing hug, "Did you remember to pack mosquito spray?"

"Yes," I assured her by pecking her on the cheek. I untangled myself from her hug and straightened out my gray sundress. I knew my mom liked to see me in dresses and I knew that it was going to be hot where I was headed. I sighed though. I was showing just a little too much skin and would probably just end up being a buffet for bugs the moment I hit emerged in Houston.

Plus, I wasn't too happy that my mom reminded how I'd be eaten alive on this trip. It would be own personal hell going back in time and thwarting bugs, but going back in time beat enduring another one of my mom's over the top whiskey weddings.

Sure, I really wasn't looking forward to my self-imposed exile, but what other choice did I have? My sweet, beautiful, but flake of a mom was getting married again and this time to a professional Quidditch player. Talk about embarrassing! What kind of grown man flies around with an electric broom between his legs? Don't get me wrong, I realize that ever since the Harry Potter series came out, the made-up game of Quidditch had risen in popularity and now was even a professional sport, but still really who wants a stick up your butt all day?

Actually my mom's new boy toy wasn't that bad. He was easy on the eyes, fun, and very kind. I liked him a lot and was glad that my mom had found someone who would take really good care of her. Plus, Phil seemed to genuinely love my mom for who she was and not just her money.

I sighed. Overall, Phil really was a great guy and I really hoped things would work out for my mom. He wasn't the first to fall hopelessly in love with my wild mother, but I hoped he would be the last. My mom needed something stable and lasting in her life, especially as she grew older.

I looked at my mom. Her face was so much like mine - oval, delicate, and yet somehow strong and chiseled. I gave her a weak smile and then took her hand into mine, taking good care to hide my broken nail from her.

"Come on. Let's go," I said pulling her out of my room. I stumbled into the doorframe and we both giggled. I rubbed my shoulder as I shifted slightly to the left in an effort to pass through the door without further injury. My mom was still laughing at my clumsiness.

"I'm going to miss you." She stroked my hair the way she did when I was little.

"I'm going to miss you too," I faltered a moment at the familiar touch, but then squelched further down the long corridor filled with cherished photos and childhood memories before I changed my mind and stayed with my mom just a little longer.

Neither of us had much more to say to one another as we descended the curved staircase. What was left to be said? I looked at her again and smiled. I held onto the metal banister to ensure I didn't trip though. The last thing I needed was a broken leg. I couldn't even begin to count the times, I'd tumbled down stairs. In fact, my mom designed the stairs in this house to be curved for that very reason.

As I thought about falling, I thought about my mom again. She had falls of her own, but they were of a different kind. My mom was like a scattered brained cat. She never seemed to know what was going on, but she always landed on her feet. Then again, maybe it had something to do with her husbands. She was good at picking reliable ones and managed to keep them around awhile before she got restless and needed to move again. She usually picked good guys who weren't able to keep up with her crazy Boeheim lifestyle, but Phil was different. He was a professional athlete and had to travel. Maybe all this traveling would keep my mom's whims satisfied, and maybe, just maybe this marriage would last. I could only hope.

As I stepped into the oval foyer, I could feel myself growing stronger in my resolve. It was time to leave my mom. Having to live through four other husbands while younger was okay, even kind of nice, but now that I was a teenager, the thought made my stomach queasy. Don't get me wrong. Phil truly was a nice man, but newlyweds needed their privacy. And since I would eventually have to do my internship into the past like all high school kids my age did, why not take it now and live with my father who was a time cop stationed in Houston, Texas in 1987.

Ugh, Houston. I thought to myself. I was from Roswell, so I knew the heat wouldn't bother me, but the humidity was beyond awful, and then to add insult to injury was the whole mosquito issue. With blood as sweet as mine, I'd be covered in bites by the time I returned home.

The idea of the mosquitoes made my skin crawl. I itched my neck as robot servants stacked my bags in the trunk. Mom gave me another hug and choked back tears.

"It'll be okay," I promised her as I slide into the backseat of the car. I straightened out my dress and tried to look like a lady.

Mom nodded and blew me a kiss.

I pretended to catch the kiss and place it on my cheek which made my mom smile. She then instructed the driver to take me to the terminal. She was too busy to see me off – something about preparing for a dinner party. It didn't really matter though. Security had been heightened yet again at the time traveling terminals, and she wouldn't have been able to do more than ride in the car with me.

I waved goodbye to her one last time as the driver pulled away from the house. My mom stood on the concrete driveway with a sad little smile and a wave that was more of a hey-come-back-here gesture than an actual wave. She looked so small against our stately stucco home. I wanted to hug her again and tell her it would be okay, but I knew I had to keep moving forward . . . well, in this case backwards.

The car rolled down the circle drive and onto sleepy suburban street.

This was it. I didn't know what the past had in store for me, but I did know what the future was going to be like – parties, wedding, and travel.

Thankfully, I didn't have far to travel to the terminal though, so at least I didn't have to dwell on either my past or my future. Mom for some reason liked to be close to the time traveling terminals. I wondered if she liked the idea of being close to my dad. The idea that she might still have feelings for my dad made feel both happy and sad at the same time.

As my driver, approached the terminal which looked a lot like a small airport, I closed my eyes and released myself from the future. The past was my future now. I was going home now.

"Good luck and safe travels, Miss," the driver pulled to a stop and popped the trunk. Robotic terminal employees unloaded the car for us as I tipped my driver.

"Thank you." I said as I stepped out of the car.

My heart raced for a moment as I thought about leaving my mom, but I pushed my misgivings aside and drew in a deep breath. I just had to trust that we would both be fine. I had to keep my wits about me now and remember my training. I was about to become an 80s girl and needed to concentrate on only that. My thoughts of the past consumed me as I entered the terminal and before I knew it I was exiting the time portal into a whole new world.

Dad showed up at the terminal in a bright red station wagon. I expected as much, but I still wasn't happy about seeing it. The car was a beast to drive what with its non-existent turning radius and all. My dad didn't have any other options though. The clunker doubled as his time cop mobile. See Chuck Swan was a time cop. Or at least he was in the late twenty first century. The time to which I'd been born. Here in the 1980s, he was still secretively a time cop, but more widely known as a NASA geologist. The complexity of his job and fake job where in my opinion mind boggling, and I really hated thinking about it. I was like my mom in that way. I wasn't a fan on knowing how things like time travel and technology worked. I grew up in the lap of luxury and didn't have to want for much or even think about things. My biggest worry was what book I would read next. I loved stories. Didn't matter what medium - books, television, movies, even gossip – just so long as I could be entertained. But books were by far my favorite mode of stories.

My dad loaded the back of the station wagon with my luggage. He smiled at me with a grin that reached right up to his eyes. They were warm brown eyes that so evenly matched my own. It was funny how I hated my eye color, but adored it on my father. His eyes were so inviting, but whenever I looked at my eyes I thought they seemed dull like mud.

A trickle of sweat beaded my chin and I wiped it away. It was barely nine in the morning, but it was already hot outside. The oppressive heat and the humidity was causing sweat to pool under the straps of my backpack. As I shifted the weight of my backpack on my shoulder to avoid any further sweating, I scanned my surroundings. The Ellington airport was small and unimpressive from the looks of it. Most people didn't travel here unless they were on training missions or were law abiding time travelers like me. One side of the airport was dotted with small one level military style buildings and the other side was flanked by a blanket of oaks. What little breeze there was provided no relief from the heat and smelled strongly of rotting marshes.

After closing the back, my dad turned and winked at me. "At least the drive is a short one to the house." He seemed to know I hated the red station wagon.

"No it's fine Ch- Dad," I stumbled over my words. I knew he hated it when I called him by his first name, but Dad was hard for me to say. Mom had been married five times now and I had so many dads it was getting to be a headache trying to keep them in order.

"It's good to see you, Bells," he gave me an awkward hug and rubbed his knuckle on the top of my head like he always did.

"It's good to see you too," I said as I untangled myself from the good natured rubbing and went towards my door. Losing my balance, I teetered a bit before lunging for the handle

Chuck grinned and walked to the driver's side and opened it. "How's your mother?"

"She's fine," I assured him as I slide into the front seat without any further mishaps.

He got into the car too and started it up. The radio blared a Huey Lewis song _Back In Time_. I frowned at both the irony of the song and the ancient condition of the car.

I did my best to hide my frown, but I think Chuck must have noticed and misinterpreted my feelings. "I know it's not what you are used to, but I got you your own car."

I turned to face my dad. "You bought me a car?"

He shrugged, "Of course. I know you don't like this car and I am really busy with work, so I figured you'd need your own car."

"Wow. Thanks. What kind of car?"

He smiled. "Just wait till we get home. I think you'll like it."

I wasn't so sure. Chuck didn't have the best taste. I thought it would be better to get my disappointment out now while he couldn't fully see my face.

"So where did you get this car?" I eyed him suspiciously, but I kept my voice as even as possible. I was hoping to draw the information out of him without making it seem like I was anxious.

He chuckled. He probably could see right through me. He almost always could. "I bought it off of Billy Black. You remember him right?"

"No."

"He works with me and he's taken us fishing before."

"Still doesn't ring a bell," I said, but that didn't surprise me. I hated fishing, and I really tried forgetting things I didn't like.

"He has kids your age," Dad pulled out of the airport and onto a two lane road.

"Jacob, Leah, and Rachel," I furrowed my brow now as the memories started to come back to me.

Dad nodded. "Yes, that's right."

I could remember them now. Or at least vaguely. I pushed those thoughts aside. Somehow I'd gotten side tracked from my mission of trying to uncover more about my new car and I was a bit annoyed. I really wanted to get my disappointment over now.

"So what year is this car?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about the car, honey. Billy has taken really good care of it. His son, Jacob, has even done a lot of work on updating it and all. It's about as modern as we can get here in the 1980s."

I sighed. "I know Dad. It'll be fine I'm sure." I tried smiling. It wasn't exactly his fault I'd have to adjust to living in a different time zone.

"Trust me. It's not what you are used to, but I have a feeling you're going to like it."

"Sure," I mumbled as I switched radio stations.

Robert Palmer's _Addicted To Love_ rang out and I wasn't sure it was much better than the last song, but at least I wasn't thinking about time traveling any more.

He drove me straight home and it was there I saw my first true love. Parked in the driveway was a powdered blue Volkswagen beetle.

"It is so cute!" I clapped my hands together and looked at my dad.

"Well, I know how much you like playing the slug bug game, so when Billy said he was selling it and I found out you were coming to visit, I thought you might like the car."

"Like it? I love it!" I gushed. Sure, I was thrilled not to have to ride around town in a bright red station wagon, but I really loved the beetle. For some reason, I always liked them.

"Other kids around here have really nice cars. Sorry I can't afford those. I know it's not like what you are used to, but when you get back home, you can have nice things again."

"NO, this is perfect. I never really cared about nice things or the status they represent remember? Just books."

Chuck sighed. I knew he had a sort of love-hate relationship with my reading books all the time. Sure, reading seemed to be an intellectual pursuit and all, but the kind of books I read were more on the trashy side. Plus, he wanted me to get out and live more. He felt like life was passing me by. He tried not to scowl. We all knew he'd like me to pay more attention to something. Anything.

"Come on. Let's get you settled in." He lifted one of suitcases and groaned. "What all do you have in here? Rocks?"

"Books," I coughed.

Dad shot me the evil eye.

Tuesday, September 8, 1987

The next day was my first day at school and I was surprised that even though a couple of centuries separated this time from my own, school was still surprisingly the same. The school buildings from this time as well as mine all looked industrialized; as if they were factories churning out robots, and the kids, well, were basically robotic. For the most part, jeans and t-shirts were the standardized uniform and I blended right in.

It was the first day of school for everyone, so all our names were posted on the white tiled walls near the front door with where to go for Homeroom. We would receive our class schedule during homeroom. I did my best not to trip or make eye contact as I fought the crowd gathered around the posters with all our names.

I found the information I needed and then fought my way back out of the crowd. A nearby table contained an assortment of papers including a school map. I swiped the map off the table and carefully examined it. I located my homeroom class and took off before anyone could notice me. I was so glad my dad had already signed me up at the school and that I didn't have to do anything more than show up. The more I looked like a regular kid, the less attention I'd receive. At least that is what I hoped would happen.

I made my way down the typical white and brown speckled tile floor that was all too common in any of the schools I'd ever been in since I was twelve. The hallways were noisy and crowded, and I bumped into skinny girl wearing a jean jacket that looked as if it had been ruined by bleach.

"Sorry," I called after the girl, but she was already lost in the crowd.

Kids were milling around classrooms only clogging up the already crowded hallways. I wished they just go into their classrooms already. I had to crane my neck around them looking for classroom numbers. I did my best not to make eye contact as my eyes flickered from room to room.

At last, I found my homeroom class. The teacher greeted me at the door and handed me my schedule. I glanced at it briefly. Everything seemed to be in order. I then steeled my nerves as I crossed the threshold into the classroom – or as I liked to think of it – prison.

Many of the seats were already taken, and others, while unoccupied, had backpacks and notebooks stacked on them. I sought out a vacant seat and shrugged off my own backpack as I carefully picked my way down the long rows of desks.

I sat beside two girls. One was definitely punk. She wore ripped jeans, a flannel button down, even though it was hot outside, and a pair of black leather boots that came up to her knees. The other girl was merely wearing jeans and an old concert t-shirt.

The girl with the jeweled red Mohawk and ripped jeans leaned across her desk and examined my leather backpack. "Nice backpack."

"Thanks," I replied. "I got it this summer while I was in Italy."

"Why were you in Italy?"

"Vacation," I said. I couldn't tell them that I was on tour with my soon to be step father's Quidditch team. The sport didn't even exist yet.

"Cool. I lived in France for year with my Dad," she continued. She then stopped and looked me up and down with her shrewd sapphire blue eyes. Noticing my pale complexion she commented, "You don't look like you spent a lot of time working on your tan this summer."

I suppressed a smile. I wasn't too versed on the 1980s, but apparently tanning was a popular past time. "No, I guess I don't spend a whole lot of time outdoors."

"I'm Angela," she pushed a pair of black glasses back onto her face. "And this is Jessica, but we call her Sparks."

"I'm Bella," I looked at Jessica trying to figure out the nickname. If she hadn't been so short, I'd have guessed the nickname might have been in regards to her near smoking hot body. But then possibly it had something to do with her super tall teased mousy blond hair that looked more like the ash on a cigarette butt then it did hair. "Sparks? Why Sparks?"  
"Because she likes to smoke," Angela replied.

Jessica sighed and rolled her eyes. "Angela's teasing you. That's not what my name stands for."

"Is too," Angela smiled.

Jessica shot Angela a hardened look.

Angela laughed, "Okay. Okay. It's cause of her sparkling personality. Everyone likes Jessica. Everyone."

"Well, almost everyone," Jessica took in a deep breath and shook her head slightly as she exhaled. "So what's your schedule like?"

Before I could reply, she swiped the small piece of white cardstock that had my semester's schedule printed on it. "Oh, Trig. Just like me. I'm pretty good at math, and Angela, well, she's good at everything, but especially math, so if you like need any help, just ask. Oh and you are taking French III with Angela too. Cool."

I smiled at the girls. I didn't share in their excitement about making friends and all, but I wasn't exactly in a position to say no either. I was never really a people person like my mom was. I was more of a loner like my dad. Then thinking of my dad, I took one look at these girls and wasn't sure how he'd feel about them. Angela was straight up punk and Sparks was borderline punk-chic. They could possibly be into drugs. I knew my dad would totally freak out about that. I thanked them politely and then asked Sparks if she could show me where room 130 was on my map.

"You're new?" Sparks turned to study me as she just now realized this must be the case.

Several other eyes turned my way.

I nodded. I now tried to shrink my slight body into my chair to avoid the curious gazes. I didn't want to call attention to myself. I was never a popular girl and I liked it that way. I was usually one of the invisible girls at my various schools. This was the part of moving that I always hated though. The usual get to know me series of interviews I had to get through in order for the various pecking orders to determine if I fit into their little clichés. I sighed again. Even though I hated this part, I might as well get it over with.

"Where are you from?"

"I've moved around a lot, but right now we are living in Roswell."

"Really? Roswell, that's so cool!" Angela seemed genuinely interested.

Jessica laughed, "Ever see any UFOs?"

"Sparks?!" Angela seemed a little put out by Jessica.

"What?" She shrugged.

Just then the bell rang. I frowned. I still hadn't learned where to go.

"I'll take you to room 130. That's in the English hall. I think that's Mr. Parks' room." Angela replied.

I nodded. "Yes, that's right. I have Mr. Parks for English. Is he good?"

"Mmm, yes, but he's tough," Angela replied, she readjusted her glasses.

"I'll see later for math," Sparks got up and left following after a tall, willowy blond guy sporting a ponytail. "Yoo hoo, Patrick, wait up."

"Ignore Jessica. She means well, but she has a lot of energy," Angela replied as she stood up from her desk and flung her army green canvas bag onto her shoulder.

"Hey, Ang. Who's the new girl?" A dark haired boy with a serious case of acne approached. He wore a heavily starched, short-sleeved plaid button down that was neatly tucked into a pair of equally starched khakis.

"Eric, this is Bella."

"Nice to meet you," he smiled a little too brightly. "What class do you have now?"

"English," I replied as I tucked my folded schedule into my back pocket and shouldered my bag a little tighter.

"Me too," he replied as he stepped aside so I could pass through the door first. "Who do you have?"

"Mr. Parks," I answered.

"Me too," He pressed his binder into his chest as if he were hugging it, "What about you Ang?"

"I have history," Angela looked at her schedule again. "With Mrs. Williams."

"Well, I can walk Bella to class then," he smiled broadly. He was definitely too eager.

Angela shrugged. "I will see you in French, Bella. Then maybe we can sit by each other for lunch?"

"Umm. Yeah. Maybe," I stammered.

Eric walked me to class and played the dreaded twenty question game with me. I had never been more excited for the bell to ring at the start of class in my life. In those five minutes of class passing time, I must have learned all there was to know about Eric – or at least all I wanted to know. He was a nice boy, but he was just that – a nice high school boy and I wasn't into high school boys. If I was honest with myself, I wasn't into any boys really. I loved my books and the fictional characters found within. If I were going to like any boys, it would have been one of the made-up ones I found in books or perhaps some of the yummy looking ones in movies.

The rest of the day rushed by in typical first day fashion. The only break from the day was the dreaded lunch break where a high school's clichés were clearly mapped out. Sparks lived up to her name sake and flittered from table to table as she said hello to all sorts of people. It seemed Angela was right. Jessica was one of those rare people who was accepted by all social groups. She was a real life social butterfly.

I would never be like Sparks or even like any of the popular girls. While I guess I was what some would call a natural beauty, I never wore makeup or did anything to show case my looks. Actually, I did everything I could to hide my beauty. I didn't like it when people took notice of me. I just wanted to be left alone to read.

I can't say that my plan to stay invisible always worked, but for the most part it did. While some people may have noticed me, most tended to avoid me or at least leave me alone. Maybe it had something to do with the way I hide my slender body underneath comfortable clothing. Or more likely it had something to do with how I always had my head bent looking either at my feet or at book. In fact, at my last school, my friends nicknamed me "Bent Head."

Nothing in my real life back home really appealed to me – especially the idea of being popular. So I guess books, movies, and even TV was a way for me to distract myself from my life. I cared more about stories than people. Thus, I wasn't very good at being social and only had few friends.

Today was one of those few days I actually paid some attention to anything around me. Granted, I was still prepared to use my textbooks as escape hatches into my private world if need be, but I was a little curious what life in the 1980s was like. I couldn't help but to sneak a few causal glances into reality. Again, this school life wasn't all that different from my regular life back home. School was school. And the school lunch time procedure was as familiar as chicken noodle soup.

Lunch, like the rest of my school day, passed by like a jacket blurb with my barely noticing any more kids. Sparks continued to introduce me to a host of people, but really the names were jumbled up in my head by the end of the day. I knew I'd be lucky if I could even remember a couple of the names by tomorrow.

On top of that, the teachers had already started piling on homework. I wasn't sure I'd make it through this exile after all. I had to pretend like I was a girl from this era, do chores, do homework, and make friends. Gulp! All I wanted to do was read or maybe watch some TV from this time frame. I had no idea I would have so much work! Yuck! I couldn't wait for the day to be over.

By the time I took Chuck's dog out for a walk later that evening, I was exhausted. Tiger, my dad's beagle, however, wasn't nearly as worn out as I was and pulled me further and further from our home. He'd stop only briefly as he ran from scent to scent. Each time he'd stop, he'd tangle his stupid leash and I'd be left trying to maneuver the leash around his squat, but sturdy legs.

"Slow down," I told the dog, but it was of no use. He still yanked me harder down the street. My arm was starting to get a little sore and I wasn't sure I'd ever take the dog for a walk again.

"Hey, Bella," a familiar voice called out.

I turned to see that Jessica was standing at her mail box. She had a stack of envelopes in her hand. I had been so busy fussing with Tiger's leash that I hadn't even noticed her standing there - typical "Bent Head" move.

"Nice dog. What's your name?" she cooed at Tiger as she leaned against her mailbox, but didn't pet him. Instead she flicked the stack of envelopes across her pant leg like she was slightly bored.

"Tiger," I said.

"That's a good dog," she pressed her lips together like a duck and continued to coo at him, but she still refrained from petting him.

From my perefreial vision, I saw a half-naked jogger streak by. Don't ask me why, but the scent of him was strangely intoxicating. I turned and stared.

"He looks hot," I said untwisting the dog's leash for the tenth time that walk without ever taking my eyes of the jogger.

"You mean because it is so stinking hot out here or because he's HOT!" Jessica now fanned herself with the stack of envelopes as she looked after the runner also.

"He's HOT!" I grinned, I couldn't help it. He was a real looker.

"You know him; he goes to our school."

"Oh, I wasn't looking at his face." I blushed slightly at the fact that I had actually said that to Jessica.

She laughed. "That's Edward."

Even though he was several house down, he turned to look back at us with an irritated half grin. He was too far down the street to have heard us, but something about the quizzical expression on his face made me wonder. He had curious liquid amber eyes that had a hot, smoldering quality to them, and I just knew he could trap any girl he wanted with those sticky, sultry eyes. His thick, bronze hair looked as warm and inviting as an unmade bed. In fact, I would have been happy to curl up in bed with him. His smile faltered as he turned his head back towards the pavement in front of him.

I looked down at the ground still blushing from what I'd said aloud or worse the thoughts that had followed. I couldn't believe what had gotten into me. Never in my life had I been interested in a real life boy. Then again, he didn't look like a real life boy. I pretended to fix Tiger's leash again and then once I thought I had my emotions in check, I looked back at Sparks. "I can't believe that he goes to our school. He looks like something out of a magazine, even while running."

Jessica separated from the mailbox and rolled her eyes. "Don't waste your time on him. He and the rest of his family are way too cool for school. They are super smart, but are hardly ever at school."

"Hmm. I wonder why?"

"I don't know. It's all very weird. Their dad, Dr. Cullen, came here just this summer to help some sick kid. Jacob Black."

That caught my attention.

"Did you say Jacob Black?"

She nodded. "Why, you know him?"

"Yes. A little. My father works with his father. We've meet before. A long time ago. I didn't know he was sick. My dad hasn't said anything. What's wrong with him?"

Jessica shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know if anyone does. But there are rumors."

"Rumors?"

She nodded, "But I'd rather not say. I'm not the gossiping type."

I looked at her questioningly. I had a hard time believing her last remark. She seemed exactly like the gossiping type.

"What?"

"Nothing. Well, no I guess I'd better get home soon. Have a nice night."

"Same."

After my brief encounter with Jessica, I hurried back home to start dinner. Chuck would be home soon and I thought it be nice if I made dinner for him while I was staying with him. I wasn't much of a cook, but neither was my dad, so I figured he'd be happy with whatever I made.

I wasn't really sure what sort of ingredients my dad had, so I first looked through his refrigerator. The machine was ancient or seemed like it to me. It was this big machine that hummed with a high pitch electrical sound. Like everything in the kitchen it was avocado green. I may currently have been living in the eighties, but Chuck's place was straight up seventies. I didn't see much of interest in the fridge, but I was also a bit distracted. My mind kept wondering about Jacob Black. I wondered why Chuck didn't say anything about Jacob being so sick that a specialist had to be called into town.

I pushed those thoughts aside so that I wouldn't be distracted. I needed to come up with dinner plans. Any questions I might have had about Jacob's conditions were just going to have to wait until Chuck came home from work.

I rummaged through the pantry and pulled out a package of spaghetti and a jar of Ragu. I set these aside on the counter while I explored the kitchen cabinets looking for cooking utensils. It didn't take long to find the pots and pans. I filled one of the pots with water and set it on the stove. I examined the knobs for a few minutes as I tried to remember how to work the stove. I then dumped the jar of spaghetti sauce into another pot and set this next to the pot of water. I turned the knobs to high and waited a few minutes to make sure everything was working properly.

I then went back to the fridge and pulled out stuff to make a salad. Tiger sat at the back door with his head on his paws obviously waiting for his master to come home.

"Waiting for Chuck?" I asked the dog.

Tiger lifted an ear, but the rest of his body was still trained on the back door.

I smiled. I was glad Chuck had a pet and wasn't entirely alone. His line of work made it hard to have a family. He had to go back and forth in time. It would be too hard to drag a family all over creation like that. But a dog. He could do that with a dog. And Tiger seemed perfectly happy. It seemed like a good pairing. Maybe a little lonely, but not entirely.

By the time I finished making the salad, the water was boiling and spitting like a geyser. I emptied the package of spaghetti into the hot water. I took a big spoon and stirred the pot. The Ragu sauce was also now popping like lava so I gave that pot a quick stir too.

Tiger scampered to his feet and made a howling bark that started me so much that I dropped my spoon into the boiling water.

I turned just in time to see the back door open. Chuck walked in and greeted Tiger.

"Tiger is loud," I said as I opened the utensil drawer and pulled out another spoon.

Chuck laughed as he knelt beside his friend. "How was your day?"

I had to look back at my dad to see if he was talking to me or the dog. Chuck was looking at me, but rubbing the dog like he was kneading dough.

"My day was fine," I stirred the Ragu.

"Were people nice?"

I shrugged. "They were okay."

"Did you make any friends?" He stood up and walked towards me. Tiger followed his tail wagging.

I shrugged again as I rummaged through the cabinets looking for a strainer. "I guess. Hard to tell at this point."

Chuck smiled at me encouragingly and then he seemed to notice my search. "What are you looking for?"

"A strainer."

He opened a cabinet and pulled one out for me.

"Thanks," I said taking it from him and placing it in the sink.

"What are you making, Bells?" He looked over my shoulder and into the pots. He seemed a little more cautious than quizzical.

"Spaghetti," I replied with a sad little smile. I guess he knew that I probably wasn't much of cook – although I was far better at it than my mom. This fact also made me sad. Maybe my dad was remembering her.

He nodded and then walked over to the cabinets. He opened the door and pulled out two plates. I took these to the small oval shaped kitchen table and set them on the harvest gold placemats. He continued setting the table while I drained the pasta and looked for a bowl to put it in.

Once everything was in place, we sat down to eat it.

"Looks good, Bells," Chuck gave me an appreciative smile.

"Thanks." I smiled back. Tiger shuffled over to me and rested his head on my lap.

"Tiger," Chuck said in a deep voice that said all too clearly to desist.

Tiger whined, but complied. He went back over to his bowl and laid down. It was at this point that I remembered that I forgot to feed him.

Scooting my chair back as I stood, I bit my lower lip, "Oops. I forgot to feed him."

"Sit back down, Bella. He can wait. So tell me about your day."

I went through the list of names that I could remember, but he didn't recognize them.

It wasn't until the end of our meal that I broached the subject about Jacob Black. "So I heard that Jacob Black is sick."

My dad frowned and folded his napkin. "Yes, he is."

"Oh, no! That's terrible. Will he be okay? I heard that he has a specialist even. What's wrong with him?"

Chuck held up his hands, "Whoa, slow down there, Bells. Not so many questions."

I squirmed in my seat.

"Yes, Jacob is sick, but don't worry. He probably won't die from it. He just has a condition that he will have to learn to live with. Or so that's what the doctor thinks, but they are still trying to figure it all out."

"And what's his illness or what do they think it is?"

"Bells. It's late and I don't want to talk about it right now. It's just too sad and I have a lot on my mind right now. But I promise you he will be fine. . . and don't talk about it with others, okay? People are spreading all sorts of terrible rumors right now."

"But Dad?"

"I'm sorry, Bells. I don't want to talk about it tonight. I've had a bad day. We will talk tomorrow. I promise. . . . I don't know much, but I'll tell you what I know," Chuck rose up from the table, grabbed his plate, and carried it to the sink. He splashed some water on to it and then placed it in the dishwasher. "Night, Bells. I've had a long day and am going to go to bed. Thanks for dinner though."

"Sure Dad," I said pushing the leftovers around my plate.

He walked back over and kissed the top of my head. "I'm just not used to having another person around. Looks I might need to make some adjustments too."

"It's fine, Ch- dad. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night," I squeezed his large hand that he had placed on my shoulder.

He returned the squeeze before leaving. "Oh, and don't forget to call your mother."

"I won't."

I looked down at my plate and stared at the remaining food. I didn't have much of an appetite now. I wondered why my dad wouldn't tell me anything about Jacob. Surely, he'd tell me right? Was it that he was worried I couldn't keep a secret? Really? He should know that I could keep a secret. Sure, I was terrible at keeping secrets as a child, but for the past two years, I'd been training to learn to keep secrets and come up with quick responses so that I could complete my time travel internship. Maybe my dad was worried that if I had too many secrets, that I couldn't keep my biggest one.

After mushing the last of my pasta into paste, I retreated from the table and scraped my leftovers into Tiger's bowl and then placed my dish into the dishwasher. I then poured dog food into Tiger's bowl and refreshed his water bowl. Tiger looked at me askew, but seemed pleased.

By the time all the kitchen chores were complete, I was still worried about Jacob. What kind of serious diseases were around in the 1980s. I trudged upstairs and looked at the clunker of an outdated computer sitting on my desk. I ignored that machine and went into my closet and pulled open an old jewelry box that my dad had once given me. It was from the 1970s and had this cute little plastic ballerina that twirled slowly to music when it was opened. I loved that box. Inside I pulled out a flat metal tablet the size of my hand. The front was a screen and when I tapped it, lights and a keyboard appeared. I typed in diseases from the 1980s and the first thing that popped up was AIDS. I looked at the information and was shocked.

My heart folded as I tapped off the screen and secured my futuristic computer back into my childhood jewelry box. Jacob couldn't have AIDS could he? I was determined not to worry about anything. Worrying never did any good, but I was resolved to broach the subject again with my dad first thing in the morning. Surly, he'd be in a better mood once he had a good night's sleep.

It was then I yawned. I looked at the clock. 8:00. I yawned again. I was beyond tired. Life in the 80s was far more exhausting than I had anticipated.

Time for bed, I thought to myself. Better check in with Mom first though.

I sent my mom a quick message to let her know that I loved her and that I was going to bed for the night. Next, I went through my nightly routine the best I could considering I was living in a different era. Thankfully, I had my own bathroom and wouldn't have to share with my dad. I was a teenage girl and needed my privacy.

Like everything in my dad's house, the bathroom was also dated. The long, narrow room was covered in giant hot pink daisy wallpaper. The stems of the flowers were the exact shade of green as the shag carpet. I felt like an ant walking among the garden.

I noticed that next to the toilet was a basket with a stack of National Geographic magazines. I picked up the basket and trotted to the other side of the bathroom. Ever since I'd read Harry Potter, I had this weird thing where I couldn't go to the bathroom if there were pictures of people nearby. I felt as if they were watching me. I know the story is fiction and all, but I just have this fear that pictures might come to life while I'm using the restroom. I know. Clearly, I read too much.

After I got everything in the bathroom situated the way I wanted it, including my supplies, I was ready to call it a night. I rushed through my nightly routine and returned to my room. Yawning, I crawled into bed and shut my eyes on my strange new world.

It rained that night and hard. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well. I twisted and turned trying not to think about Jacob. The storm raging outside mirrored the pain and confusion I felt over Jacob. Every time it thundered, I jumped. I wasn't used to such strong storms and was beginning to wonder if maybe I was in the middle of a hurricane.

I pushed the covers off and sprinted towards Chuck's door, but stopped half way when I could hear his heavy snores over the rain. It was only then I remembered that storms in Houston were common. I returned to my bed and eventually drifted off to sleep as the storm eventually faded into morning.

Wednesday, September 9, 1987

The morning was bright and sunny, but the ground outside my window was as soggy and was littered with a strewn of leaves and branches. I scratched the corner of my cheek and sighed. It would be extra humid this morning. The idea of the thick oppressive heat weighed heavily on my heart as I trudged down the stairs looking for Chuck. I had hoped he'd tell me about Jacob. To my dismay, I found a hastily scribbled note on the table from my dad wishing me a good day and informing me he had to go in early.

I pushed the note aside and made room for my bowl of cereal. This exile was turning out to be exactly that - an exile. Chuck was hardly around and even when he was, he was broody. Scratch that. He was so quiet that he was just a . . . mystery.

School wasn't much better. Most people continued to ignore me as was typical in a school this large, but still there was those brave few who would come out of their protective shells and approach me.

The questioning began as soon as first period started.

"You're Bella Swan aren't you? I'm Mike Newton. Jessica introduced us in the hall yesterday."

"Yes," I smiled politely at Mike. I could tell right way that Mike was one of the more popular kids. He had a cute, clean-cut face, perfect blond hair, and a dimpled smile. On top of that he was dressed like a prep in khaki shorts and a light blue polo that made his eyes pop.

He sat down in the chair next to mine and I could see dark-haired Eric glare at him. Eric scowled but he didn't say a word. He picked a thread off his neatly pressed button down, but kept his eyes trained on me.

"I heard you moved here from New Mexico," Mike unzipped his backpack, took out a blue folder, and laid it on his desk.

"Yes," I replied tapping my pencil on top of the book I was reading, hoping he'd pick up on the hint that I wanted to be left alone.

He laughed. "So how's the humidity treating you?"

I smirked and then even laughed a little. Something about Mike was welcoming which coming from a popular kid was refreshing. "Horrible," I confided.

Mike laughed again as he ran a hand across his short blonde hair. "It took me a while to get used to it too."

I slipped a bookmark into my book and closed it. "You're not from around here?"

Mike smirked and then looked around, "This town is fairly new. Lots of us have moved here over the years. But no. I'm from California. San Diego actually. I moved here when I was about ten."

"Your mom or dad work at NASA?"

His dimpled smile expanded. "You'd think, but no. My dad owns a boating store near the lake. My whole family helps out at the shop. Mom included."

"Oh," I was surprised that at least one of his parents didn't work at the Johnson Space Center.

"You ever been out on the lake?"

I nodded. My brows furrowed as I remembered Chuck taking me out fishing, which I loathed. "A few times when I was littler with my dad, but I haven't been in years."

"I'll have to take you some time. This weekend?"

"Umm. This weekend?"

He nodded as he leaned in close.

"I'm not sure. I'll have to check with my dad." My stomach winced. I wasn't so sure about this idea, plus I didn't want to encourage him, but really the problem was that I wasn't a fan of the great outdoors. Then again, I supposed I needed to step outside my comfort zone a little a start to experience life. I knew that would make Chuck happy. I looked into Mike's smiling blue eyes and couldn't help but to smile in response, "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"Great, here's my number." He handed me a ripped piece of notebook paper that was folded in half.

"Thanks," I took the slip of paper and tucked it into my English folder.

The bell rang and Mr. Parks waltzed into the room carrying a stack of paper piled up to his chin. He dropped the stack onto his Spartanly clean desk. I groaned to think how much work those papers represented.

"Problem?" Mike leaned forward and folded his hands his hand over his blue notebook.

I picked at the hot pink polish I had hastily dabbed on my fingers last night in an effort to fit in. "That's a lot of homework."

Mike chuckled, but Eric answered. "That's Lake for ya. The teachers want to prepare us not just for college, but for Ivy League schools."

I groaned again.

Turned out Eric was right though. The rest of morning classes turned out like my English class. Each of my teachers entered the class with stacks of paper. I wondered how many trees had been sacrificed just so we would learn.

After lunch another storm blew in from the South. This one wasn't as blustery as the one last night, but it stayed around much of the afternoon. By the time Physics, my last class of the day, rolled around, I couldn't wait to get home. But as I looked outside, I dreaded the idea of sloshing through the rain to my car. I hoped that the rain would be over by the time the school day ended. In New Mexico, the rain probably would have ended, but here in Houston, well, it could rain nonstop for days. I must have been staring at the weather too long because I was almost late to class. By the time I made it to class, most of the seats were already filled. I quickly took a seat. I flipped open a book like I usually did and hid myself behind it as a barrier.

As soon as the bell rang, someone slipped into the seat next to mine. The smell of freshly baked sugar cookies filled the air. I looked up from my book.

What could smell so good in a Physics' classroom I wondered?

I turned to see that the cute jogger, Edward, was next to me. His back was long and rigid and he was perched on the edge of his seat with his hands gripping the edge of his desk. His brows were drawn so tight, I thought he'd burst a blood vessel, but the look he shot me chilled me to the bone.

The expression on his face was so comical though, I nearly giggled . . . or maybe my mirth was caused by nerves. Either way, I couldn't register the emotions playing out across his face. While his brows were drawn together like butt-cheeks, his eyes were large startled looking pools of latte shifting slightly as if they'd just been stirred. And yet his eyes were darkening with intensity as he looked at me unwaveringly. The funny part was that although his eyes and brows had a look of confusion and malice, the bottom half of his beautiful face looked tempted as he nipped his lower lip with his teeth. I looked into his stunning face and saw that his nose, checks, and mouth looked as if he just been caught in mid sniff. His eyes were watery now as he continued not to breathe. He scooted away from me as he clenched his fist around his composition notebook.

I looked away from Edward. What on Earth could possibly be wrong with him? Did I smell bad or something? I sniffed my perfume. Chanel. How could that be offensive? It was an expansive brand.

I tried not to think about Edward, who it seemed still hadn't drawn a breath, and concentrated instead on Mrs. Patterson's lesson. I couldn't help myself though. I had to sneak another peek at Edward. I remembered all too well his rippled chest and muscular arms. I wanted another look. The shirt he wore now was a disappointment. It marred the true beauty of his bare chest. Sure his muscles fought against the fabric of his t-shirt making a bid for escape and that in itself was a welcoming sight, but covering his body with clothes was like covering a sports car.

I cautiously drew my gaze to his face. His face was turned away, but I could see that his jaw was clenched. What was his deal?

My mind raced.

Why was he acting this way? Did he not like me? Why? What had I done? Or did he know that I found him attractive? Was he repulsed by me?

I clenched my pencil in frustration and let my hair down like a brown shield that would forever separate us. I blinked a few too many times, but kept my eyes trained on the dull green chalkboard at the front of the class. Scientific equations were scribbled across every inch of the board. Looking at the work made my head hurt, but I knew I couldn't look away or I'd be tempted to stare at Edward.

 _Do not look at him_ I repeated to myself, but it was hard not to. I even gripped the shiny plywood surface of my desk with my other hand in a Herculean effort not look.

Mrs. Patterson launched into her lesson and I tried to concentrate on her too pink of eyeshadow and the glossiness of her drugstore lipstick.

Once the bell rang at the end of class, Edward was up and out of the door quicker than I would have thought humanly possible. I sighed to see him go, but was distracted by yet another round of twenty questions. Mike and Eric both bantered with me about the day's lesson while I gathered my belongings.

I looked at the window as I zipped up my backpack and then struggled to get into my raincoat. "It's still raining cats and dogs out there."

"I can walk you to your car," Mike held up an umbrella as if it were a sword and he was a knight coming to my rescue.

"Thanks," I smiled and somehow tripped as I fell over my own two feet trying to get out of the chair.

Mike caught me and steadied me. "We can talk more about what type of boating we should do on the lake this weekend."

That caused me to pause. "What do you mean? You have more than one type of boat?"

Mike laughed. "Yeah. My dad owns a boat store remember? We have a couple of boats of our own, but sometimes we have access to the boats we sell. You know, so we can test them out and make sure they are working. So I can take you canoeing, fishing, skiing, and I can probably arrange sailing. Or we can just ride around the lake and hang out on a pontoon boat."

I was impressed and my face must have shown it.

"Don't be impressed. It isn't much. It's not like I have a yacht – though I'd really like one."

"Oh, yes. A yacht would be nice," Eric chimed in, clearly not wanting to be left out of the conversation. And it was a good thing too because I had almost forgotten he was there. I wasn't used to so many people paying this much attention to me. It was hard to keep track of everyone. Plus, I was still trying to get my bearings on how to get around the building.

The two boys both walked me to my car. As we walked, we talked. The conversation was bizarre. I felt like I was in some sort of weird cocktail mixer as both boys tried to pour on the charm and out-do one another. Eric talked about his various chess championships and debate awards while Mike talked about his baseball games and all the fun outdoor things he liked to do. As the boys droned on, it became clear to me that neither of them was my type. I needed someone who could have been the perfect blend of the two. A little athletic and a little academic, but totally into reading.

Even though we had transitioned from indoors to outdoors, the boys still stayed by myside. The rain came down in sheets, but they popped up their umbrellas and shielded me. Neither Eric nor Mike seemed deterred by the rain and I wondered what was wrong with them. What was so interesting about me that they would so gauntly protect me from the rain?

"This is my car," I said slipping a little on the slick concrete. I had hoped the boys would take off at this point, but instead they walked me over to the door and held up their umbrellas even higher as I unlocked the car.

Rain splattered the umbrellas and rolled down the sides like drippy fingers. I was still dry, but both boys now had droplets of rain running down their exposed arms.

"Well, thank you," I said opening my car door. I then ducked between them and climbed into my car.

We said our good-byes and Mike closed my door for me. Both boys stared at me a moment, and then once they were satisfied that I was dry and safely within my car, the two boys bolted and parted company. I started up my car and fumbled around until I found where the windshield wipers were located. It was then that I saw him through the blurred, rainy window of my car. My second true love.

He carried a stack of books that reached his chin. Ah and what a chin! It was firm and square befitting heroes of lore. I could only see his profile, but I think Michelangelo must have used him as the model of David. His cheekbones were like chiseled marble. He was tall and powerfully built very much like the adored David statue. He had long black hair that was pulled into a low ponytail and he walked with such animal grace it was hard not to watch him. In fact, had he been a woman, I would have thought Lord Byron and written the poem _She Walks in Beauty Like the Night_ about him.

He walked through the rain as if he didn't have a care in the world. I watched him until he disappeared into a red pickup truck three spaces down and across from where I was parked. He was gorgeous and he liked to read. My heart fluttered, but as he pulled his truck out of the parking space, my heart stopped. On the back of his bumper was a sticker that read Clear Lake Falcon Football. Then my heart sank like an anchor. He was a jock and not just a jock, but a football player. They were the worst. Usually full of themselves and obnoxious. Ugh! And he probably wouldn't even notice me. What a shame. He was cute too!

Slowly, I eased my way out of the parking lot and drove the whole way home with nothing more than the whooshing sound of my windshield wipers to comfort me. My heart had a dull ache and my head pounded like the rain. The day had been long and now this weather really had me down. I was beginning to miss my hot, sunny, but dry environment.

The phone was still ringing when I finally made it into Chuck's house.

"Hello," I lifted the handle and fumbled my way around the curly chord. I wasn't use to such an old fashioned phone.

"Hello, Bella? This is Jessica."

"Oh, hey Sparks," I ventured back unsure why she was calling me.

"I hear that Mike is taking you out boating this weekend?" Jessica sounded slightly miffed.

"Yeah, maybe. How'd you hear about that already?" I was confused. He'd only just asked me. Maybe someone in class had overheard our conversation and told her.

"Doesn't matter. Just wanted to let you know he's a good guy. . . " she sounded sad or maybe she was just holding back something else about him.

"That's good to know," I assured her. "Maybe we can get a group together and you can go too?"

"I'd like that," she perked up on that.

"Jessica. . . " I started to ask her about the boy from the parking lot, but decided it against it. For one thing we were at a big school she might not even know him, but for another, I got the feeling that Jessica was a bit of a gossip.

"Yes?"

"Edward was at school today and he's in my Physics' class."

"Lucky you," she giggled.

"What do you mean?" I coiled the chord around my index finger as I sat down on the green shag carpet that seriously needed to be updated. Tiger waddled over and sat beside me and demanded a thorough petting.

"I would probably fail that class with all the staring and day dreaming I'd be doing of Edward. At least you have some nice scenery in that class what with Mike and Edward."

"Oh," was all I could say. I thought about asking her about Edward's weird behavior, but decided against it. I was beginning to think she'd spread that news around too and then as if to confirm my suspicions, she launched into a blaze of daily gossip. By the time she was done my ear was burning from having the hard plastic surface pressed up against it so long.

"I'm sorry, Sparks, but I need to take the dog for a walk now that it has stopped raining. I have to hurry too because I still need to get a start on dinner and homework."

"If you walk this way, I'll come out and meet you," she suggested.

"Umm, okay, but I can't really be gone long. Dinner, homework, remember?"

She laughed. "See you soon."

Then with a click she was gone.

I hung up the phone, pushed Tiger off me, and stood up. "Come on, Tiger," I sighed, "let's go for a walk."

I didn't have to ask him twice. We were out the door and down the street at rocket speed. His squat little legs were strong and fast. We raced down the street with me flying behind.

Jessica was outside waiting for us. "Hey, Bella. Hey there, Tiger." Her voice was again in that who's-a-good-boy high octave, but she still didn't pet him.

"Hello, Sparks," I untangled my leg from the leash. Tiger wanted Jessica's attention, but she still deemed not touch him. "Let's walk."

She prattled on about wanting new clothes and needing to take a shopping trip to the mall. She stopped for a moment and looked me over. "You should come with me."

"I'd like that," I replied. She was probably right. My clothes from the future weren't the best choices, but I went through and tried to find things that would fit in. I didn't have much that worked though.

"So what's the story on Jacob Black?" I asked. I know my father said that I should be careful talking about him because there were so many rumors about him and I knew Jessica was probably one of them spreading rumors too. Still, I was curious and I knew that she had information.

She pushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked at me. "Like I said it is soooo sad. He is like soooo gorgeous! Tall, angelic, black haired-"

"Yes, yes. I know what he looks like remember?" Although admittedly I didn't remember much about him. Her description made me think of the boy from the parking lot though.

"Well, like I said he is sick. No one knows with what though." She looked at me again.

I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"Keep in mind and I really don't know anything. I think he was some sort of immune problem like that bubble boy-"

"The bubble boy?"

"You know the bubble boy." She looked at me like I was crazy not to know who the bubble boy was.

"Oh, the bubble boy," I said trying to hide my confusion.

"Or maybe he has AIDS." Jessica lowered her voice and looked down at her feet.

"Oh," I said and I could hear the sadness in my voice.

She then looked up and said, "But I think he has some other condition like maybe some sort of cancer. I don't know. I hope it isn't AIDS. Everyone is sort of freaked out about it right now and no one would want to be around Jacob if that was the case. . . . That would be really sad too. Jacob is such a nice guy."

Tiger let out of one his howling barks and yanked on his leash so hard that I fell to the ground. An orange tabby dashed across the street and Tiger did his best to chase after it. He didn't get far with me at the other end of the leash, but he did manage to drag me an inch or so across the concrete pavement.

"Dang it, Tiger. Stop," I yelled and balled my fist tighter around the leash least he get away.

Tiger bellowed some more, but at least he stayed put. With Jessica's help, I got back onto my feet and it was then I noticed that I had scrapped my elbow bad enough that I was bleeding.

"Why don't you come in and get cleaned up?" Jessica suggested.

I shook my head. "No, it's not that bad. It'll keep until I get home and I probably should be getting back. Thanks though."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

As I made my way back home, Edward turned the corner. He was out for what I presumed was his nightly run. As soon as he saw me, he blanched. His entire body went rigid and I swear that he wasn't breathing. He turned on his heal and rounded the very corner he'd just taken.

I fought back tears. I was mad, and for some reason when I was mad, I would often cry. What was his problem? Was I that offensive? I didn't notice the tears until one of them burned into my fresh wound. Great, I thought. I'm out in public and I'm crying.

I wrapped my arms around my chest and chased Tiger all the way home.

Chuck was home by the time I returned and had already started on dinner.

"Hey, how was your day?" He asked as he flipped a pork chop that was frying in the pan.

"Fine."

Something in my voice must have caught him off guard because he turned around.

"You've been crying." He frowned, "And you've been hurt. What happened?"

I laughed it off. "You know me, Dad. I'm clumsy as it is and then Tiger here saw a cat. I fell. It hurt at first, but it doesn't now and it is really just a scrape. I think I was more embarrassed than hurt and that's why I was crying."

"Sit down, honey, while I clean it up."  
I rolled my eyes at him. "Dad, I'm not a child. I can take care of it." I hung up Tiger's leash and made my way to the bathroom.

"Okay, then. First aid kit is in the linen closet." Chuck called after me.

"I remember," I replied. His words stung a little. I could remember countless falls I'd taken as a little girl. And every time I needed patching up, Chuck would have to go into the linen closet to bring out the kit. I smiled at the memories as I pulled out the kit and took it into the bathroom.

After sufficiently bandaging up my elbow, I returned to the kitchen. Chuck was nearly finished so I went ahead and set the table.

"So how was your day, Dad?" I set down the plates and arranged the silverware as I listened to his brief recanting of the day.

"So it was a better day than yesterday?" I asked once he'd finished talking.

"Yes," he slide the pork chops off the pan and onto a plate. He then placed the plate on the table.

"So what exactly happened yesterday?"

He placed the pan into the sink and then looked at me briefly. "You know I can't tell you everything about my work," he replied as he then turned his attention to getting potatoes out of the oven. "But some anomalies, and I don't know what, were reported at Ellington, and we have been notified that there has been a possible technology breech or stowaway this past week."

"And what does that mean?" I asked although I had some idea as to what that meant.

"Well, we don't know just yet. It is still under investigation."

I nodded. I now understand why he was so aloof yesterday. Stowaways cold be a real problem. It wasn't uncommon for criminals to try and disappear into the past.

"So," I said changing subjects as we both sat down to eat, "Are you ready to tell me about Jacob?"

Dad cut into his pork chop savagely. "It's not good. Just warning you."

"What's not good?"

I twirled my fork on the table and watched Chuck. He set his knife and fork down and looked at me.

I stared back.

My dad folded his hands together and pressed the ridge of his knuckles to his chin and lower lip. He placed both of his elbows onto the table and sighed.

"The Blacks are nephilims."

"Angels-"

"Half angels,"

I nodded. I knew what the term Nephilim meant. I wasn't all that surprised. I'd heard rumors from my mom of their existence and that they were even guardians to time travel, "Is that what's wrong with him?"

"No. Not all. It's much more complicated than that."

My dad twiddled his thumbs but didn't say anything. I waited.

"He's been bitten-"

"By a snake?" I pulled my feet up off the floor instinctively. I didn't like snakes and Houston was crawling with them and the venomous kind too.

"I wish."

I gave Chuck a quizzical look.

"By a vampire," he blurted out.

I stopped twirling my fork and looked at Chuck. "Wh. . . wh. . . what?" I stammered.

"I know. I know. This is crazy. Nephilims. Vampires. But it is true." My dad's hands parted and he placed them on the table top.

I watched for a long moment as I tried to wrap my head around what he was telling me. He wasn't much of a jokester plus he looked so serious. I had to belief him. What he was telling me was unreal, weird even, but I sensed it was the truth. But what was I to do with this information?

"So now what?"

Chuck drummed his fingers on the table a moment. "Like I said. He won't die. He can't now that he's immortal. The problem is that not only is he a vampire, but he's a Nephilim. That makes him a real threat or could."

"But you don't think so do you?"

"No, of course not. This is Jacob. He's always been such a kind person. I'm not worried about that, but I'm worried that vampires might be threatened by him or that they might want to sway him into doing things he may not want to do," my dad sighed and he sounded like a steam engine. "Like I said this is all very new and complicated and confusing. The Black family is trying to figure things out. Jacob is being kept under surveillance and we have even called in a vampire specialist."

"Dr. Cullen," I said.

"Yes. He has a special set of skills that will help in this area."  
"What sort of skills?"  
Chuck stopped his drumming, "He will teach Jacob to live off animal blood as opposed to human blood."

"Okay, that doesn't sound so bad. Is it possible though?"

Chuck assured me that it was, "But it won't be easy for him. He will be tempted."

"So he won't die, but he is still in danger and could be a danger to others?" I tried to sum up what my dad had just told me about Jacob's condition.

"Yes, but he's also Nephilim so his will power should be stronger than that of humans. Plus, he's kind. I don't think he'll be a danger. I really don't. The problem is other vampires. We just need to make sure he doesn't attract other vampires that might want to harm or sway him." My dad repeated himself as he attacked his pork chop again, stabbing it into smaller pieces.

"I thought you said he wouldn't die."  
"Vampires can still be killed."  
"Oh, that's right. Sunlight, stakes-"

"No, that's not true. Sunlight won't kill them, neither will stakes. Fire, and I'm talking an intense fire, is one of the few things that'll kill them."

"Oh,"

"And Bella. I want you to know that the Cullens, while not a threat, they are also vampires."

"What?" I gasped. Now I knew what Edward's problem was. He was a vampire.

"Don't be alarmed. They can control their urges. Or at least most of them can. Just stay away from the Hales – especially Jasper. My understanding is they are all well-disciplined, but that Jasper has had a few lapses. But I would say that you really don't have to worry about them."

"Dad?"

"Look, these vampires have special skills that Jacob needs right now. One of them can see into the future and the youngest one, Edward, can read minds."

"What?" I was mortified now. Had Edward been able to read my thoughts? No wonder he acted so strange around me. I was a freak from the future who thought he was incredibly hot! How embarrassing!

"Look, they will help and protect Jacob. It'll be okay. And Billy needs all the help he can get. He still has work to do. He can't babysit Jacob all the time. And I need Billy Black's help right now. Strange things have been happening lately and I can't afford for Billy to have to quit his research so that he has to leave and take care of his son. Jacob will be fine. Or as fine as he can be in his new condition."

I was taken so far aback that I couldn't think straight. This was just crazy. What kind of story book world had I found myself in? Maybe I had fallen asleep while reading one of my books and this was all just a dream? But no this was real. Angels and Demons walked the planet. My world would forever be altered. I knew my dad was speaking the truth, but I wished he wasn't. My head hurt a little. It was hard enough living being a teenager, but I already had so many other things on my plate right now that I didn't need more secrets.

I sighed. What else could I do? Nothing really. And in the end, these secrets weren't really mine, so what did it matter to me?

I looked into the dark depth of my dad's eyes and could see for the first time layers upon layers of secrets that would take me years to uncover.

"You are not just a time cop are you?"

He looked back at me. "No."

I waited.

Nothing.

"I've got all night."  
He smiled, "I've got longer."

I huffed. "You'll have to tell me eventually."

He shook his head. "Not all of it, but maybe someday some of it."

I crossed my arms. "Really? How can you be so insufferable?"

"Sorry, Bells. Secrets are just that way, and I wouldn't wish them on anyone. It's a rather big burden and you're just a kid."

"I'm nearly seventeen."

He knuckle rubbed my scalp. "Kid."

"Cut it out. Stop that. It hurts," I shooed his hand away.

"And so does the truth," he placed his hands back onto the table.

I looked at him and knew that he wouldn't give me any more information tonight.

"Too many secrets," I picked at my food.

"I agree, but eat up," he pushed a bowl of peas in my direction. "You'll need your strength if you plan on keeping up with all these fairytale creatures."  
I looked back at him. He knew me only too well. I loved stories, but for the first time I had actually taken an interest in real life.

Chuck gave me a sad little look as if he realized how much life had just changed and then as if he didn't want to admit it, he quickly brought up other topics.

"So? Plans for the weekend?"

I narrowed my eyes at my dad. "Really? So, this is how you are going to play it?"

He nodded.

I folded my arms and stared at him. He was too busy shoveling peas into his mouth to notice.

I huffed, but went on to answer him, "Well, I have been invited to go boating with some friends. Would that be alright?"

"Probably. What kind of boating?"

"Plans are still being worked on, but I'll let you know what we come up with soon. Oh, and I was thinking maybe I should visit with Jacob."

Chuck paused and thought about it. "Maybe or maybe you can see my work. I have some things we should begin to take a look at and maybe talk some more."  
I eyed him. "More secrets?"  
He smiled wryly.


	2. Chapter 4

Bella loves stories – always has. And she is beginning to realize that everyone has one as she now knows that mythological creatures exist. Secrets surround her and she is doing her best to keep them, but she can't help herself around these creatures; she finds them interesting. What she doesn't understand is why are they interested in her? And what is up with her father? What secrets isn't he telling her? The more she learns, the more she is at risk of letting her time traveling secret out. Being a teenager is tricky, but being one with secrets is dangerous.

Stephanie Meyer's characters are so fabulously fun to play around with and I am so grateful that she has allowed so many writers to borrow them. I can never hope to create the magic that she did, but I appreciate her generosity for letting us explore the lives of her characters in so many wonderful ways. My characters have been modeled so closely to hers because well hers are perfect, but I have added a few twists (Jacob's a Nephilim and Bella's from the future and well . . . she still has other secrets to learn about herself and those secrets begin to appear here in the 4th chapter)

Thursday, September 10, 1987

The next day was bright and sunny. And hot. And humid.

I was sweated out by the time I walked from my car to school, and to add insult to injury, I incurred three mosquito bites. On the bright side, I was glad that I wasn't wearing any make-up for surely it would have melted off my face.

I was right on time, but so was everyone else. The commons was dense with people, milling around gabbing or hastily copying down last minute answers to homework questions. Jessica was leaning against the wood paneled wall that lead to the auditorium. She was squeezed in between two boys as tall as professional basketball players. One of them had a hold on her and was trying to drag her into the other room.

Giggling, Jessica waved at me from across the crowded hall. I waved back.

"Hey, Bella," Eric walked up to me with a cheeseball grin. His dark hair was sticking up a little in the back as if he'd forgotten to brush.

"Hi, Eric," I sighed, but smiled politely. We would now be walking to class together and I would have to converse which was something I never really mastered. "How was your day yesterday?" I clumsily grasped at a question that I hoped would force him to talk for a while.

"Good. And yours?"  
Dang! I thought to myself. He'd turned it right back on me.

"Fine," I replied and cursed myself again. I wasn't really good at this talking thing. Someone rammed into me from behind and I stumbled into the wall. In my wake, I knocked a portrait of some astronaut askew. Embarrassment took over my face and I looked around for my assailant.

Whoever bumped into me disappeared into the crowd without even apologizing. Seriously? What a loser. Then again I realized the halls were crowded, and that the person probably didn't even realize what had happened.

"You okay?" He stepped a little closer to me, but thankfully kept his hands to himself.

"I'm fine," I hiked my leather backpack back into place and straightened out the picture on the wall. "No harm. No foul."

Eric grinned at me sympathetically and looked as if he wanted to say something more. Like perhaps how clumsy I was?

We walked a littler quieter now. For me the silence was refreshing, but others might have found it awkward. I racked my brain for something more to say, but couldn't.

As we walked past the library, my heart fluttered and any thoughts about starting a conversation slipped out of my head. At the check-out counter was my dark-haired beauty. The one poets immortalized and artist sculpted. I allowed my eyes to linger longer than was safe for a klutz like me and I plowed right into the wall. As I looked up, I found myself mistaken. I hadn't run into a wall; I had run into Edward.

"Ow," I said softly as I rubbed my bruised shoulder. "I am sorry."

The scowl on Edward's face said it all. He hated me.

"I didn't mean to bump into you. I'm really sorry."

Without breathing, Edward replied, "Not a problem."

And then like that he was gone, but the strange scent of sugar hung in the air.

I was shaking by the time I walked into first period. These crowded hallways were going to be the death of me.

"You okay?" Eric asked as he sat down. He looked at me like I was really a walking tripping hazard and that he wanted to surround me with bubble wrap so that I wouldn't hurt myself or anyone else.

I swallowed. "Yeah. It's just that Edward is like solid. My arm is going to have some pretty bruises tonight."

Eric pulled his brows together, "Pretty bruises? How can bruises be pretty?"

"What? No. That's not what I meant. Oh, never mind," I waved his questioning off and rummaged through my backpack for my pen and notebook.

Eric had finally found some subject to talk about it and was off and running talking about some sort of Rubik Cube contest he was entering. I tried to follow, but honestly I didn't care too much. I was just glad he was holding up the conversation and not me.

When I sat back up, however, anything Eric had to say was lost on me. For it was at this moment that the dark-haired angel I so admired walked through the door and found a seat at the back of class. I was mesmerized, though I pretended very hard not to be. I watched as he threw open one of his books and started reading. I should have looked away, but I felt that while he read, I had time to safely examine him. I just knew this had to be Jacob. I felt so bad for the poor guy, but he really didn't look worse for wear. Now, I tried really hard picturing little Jacob. Had he grown so much?

I could hear them before I saw them, the pack of football players that usually sat at the back of the class. They were loud and their conversation was just on the edge of inappropriate. I could hear them laughing and bumping into desks as they pushed their way to the back. Their sneakers squeaked on the tiled floor. Papers flew off someone's desk. The boys were just almost too big to be allowed indoors and barely fit down the narrow aisles. I was about to tear my eyes of off Jacob and look at my books before any of them noticed me when one of them threw a football at my beloved angel.

"Heads up, Ben," a rough voice called out as the ball flew through the air.

Without even looking up, the boy I so adored caught the ball.

I was thoroughly confused. This wasn't Jacob? I quickly looked away, but kept my ear trained on their conversation.

"How do you do that, Ben?" One of the boys asked as he took a seat.

So this wasn't Jacob. I frowned. If the boy had been Jacob, at least I'd have a chance to talk to him. But on the flipside this meant that Ben was human. That was good. I giggled at myself for thinking that. Just yesterday, I would never had to worry if someone was human or not.

The bell rang.

The class settled down at once. Mr. Parker was a strict teacher and wouldn't tolerate any misbehavior.

My day flew by like any other. Relentless. Boring. I would have liked to have lost myself in a good book, but too many people chatted with me. Texas was a friendly state I decided. And those few moments I could read, my mind was taken towards other things. Like Edward and Jacob and now Ben.

At lunch I saw both Edward, who still refused to look my way, and Ben who was also oblivious to my existence due to the group of football players surrounding him.

"Oh, Bella, you do aim high," Jessica replied as she noted where my eyes were directed. "First Edward and now Ben. At least, Ben dates. You have no shot with Edward. But then no one does."

At this we both stole glances towards Edward, and he was staring at us. We both flushed and turned away.

Giggling at one another. We knew we'd been caught.

I glanced sideways and saw that Edward was still staring at us.

"Stop looking at him, Bella," Jessica pulled on my arm as if she could drag my head down too.

"It's hard not to," I did finally look back at my lunch and decided that I was no longer hungry.

"Looking at Edward is like looking into the sun. It's dangerous," Jessica warned. "You'll get burned."

She looked at me and then added. "He's not into dating."

I now looked at Jessica and wondered if she had a made a move on Edward in the past.

"How do you know?"

She shrugged. "Trust me. I just do."

"Who are the other people he is sitting with?" I asked Jessica, but this time neither of us looked over at Edward.

"Oh, those are his brothers and sisters."

I furrowed my brows.

"They don't look anything alike."

"They're all fosters of Dr. Cullen and his wife. The blondes, Jasper and Rosalie Hale, are twins. I think they are Mrs. Cullen's niece and nephew. Edward, Alice, and Emmett are all fosters."

"Wow. That's a lot of teens."

Jessica nodded. "And it gets worse. Jasper is dating Alice and Rosalie is dating Emmett."

At this point I was interested enough to risk another peek at Edward's table. The five siblings sat by themselves and as far away from anyone as possible. They played around with their food while they joked with one another. None of them looked like one another other than they were all beautiful and maybe a little pale. But it was hard to tell. I was currently residing in the 1980s and everyone seemed to be sporting a tan – except me and them.

I looked back down at my sandwich. I wrapped it back up into my brown paper bag and stood up. "I'm not all that hungry. I think I will just go to the library instead and check out some books."

Jessica looked at me and then the tattered copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ I was lugging around. "You do like your books don't you."

"She's like Beauty from _Beauty and the Beast_ ," Mike said as he slipped an arm around my shoulder.

I blushed slightly.

"Oh, Bella," Mike removed his arm again, "I have some bad news. I can't go out this weekend. I have to help out at the shop, and I have a big English assignment due on Monday. Can we do it next weekend?"

"Sure," I replied and then noticed how Jessica looked a little sad. "I was thinking. Since it's been a while since I've been on the lake. Why not make it a touring party and we can invite Jessica and maybe Angela?"

Something flashed across Mike's eyes. Sadness? Disappointment? Whatever it was, it didn't last long and he was nothing but smiles. "Sure. Sounds great! So I'll see you in Physics later."

"See you in Physics."

I walked into the library. I was in desperate need of new reading material and I had hoped I could find something interesting from this era to read. Unfortunately, my best laid plans quickly tumbled as I did exactly that over the threshold and into the arms of Ben. My tall, dark-haired medieval angel with the broad shoulders and the dreamy face was now looking at me with curious eyes. For the first time I noticed that he had the tiniest of scars on his top left lip as if he had once bitten it.

"Whoa. Steady there." Ben laughed as he stood me back up and slipped the shoulder strap of my backpack back into place.

I froze. His touch was intoxicating. His arms were so warm and safe, but strong. I wanted to wrap them around me like a coat of armor. He was just so big and primal that I couldn't stop myself from moving a tad closer to him.

I could feel the blood popping inside my veins though as his fingers grazed my shoulder. My heart played possum and I couldn't breathe. Why, I couldn't even move. I wondered if this was how Edward felt. Not breathing. The only movement I could feel was some strange cotton ball like twirling in my ears.

I must have been turned a livid shade of blue by the time I caught my breath. "Sorry," I mumbled out of breathe. "I have balance issues."

For some reason Ben found this funny and laughed. It wasn't fair. His voice was enthralling and stirred my own voice into silence. "You're in my first period class. Isabella Swan, right? Aren't swans supposed to be graceful?"

I baled up my fists. Was he seriously making fun of me?

"Sorry, that was terrible of me. But you are her, aren't you? Isabella?"

"Bella," I corrected.

He smiled. It was warm and full of animal magnetism. I suddenly became very aware of how close we stood to one another. I could feel his heat and had a hard time thinking of anything more to say.

"I see you are reading _Pride and Prejudice_ ," he leaned into me and touched the tattered cover.

"Umm, yes?" I mumbled and was rather upset that I couldn't think of something wittier, but the heat from his body washed over me like a warm bath and felt as if I might swoon. "You've read it?"

He nodded. "Not a bad book. One has too much pride and the other has too much prejudice. It's good stuff. I can see it happening here in this school sometimes."

I pursed my lips together. "I can see that." I didn't want to say anything more on that subject in case somehow I offended him. But he was right. High schools were full of their clichés, and those clichés each had their own sense of pride and prejudices. At least I think that is what he meant.

"So I hear you are new in town," he smiled widely. "You're from Roswell. I guess that makes you a bit of an alien around these parts."

I was flustered. I sensed that he was trying to tease me, but at the same time his warming proximity clouded my head. Maybe he was trying to make me the butt of joke.

"Um, yes," I smiled weakly. "How did you know that I was from out of town?"

"Mike told me. He said he plans to take you out on the lake this weekend and show you around."

"Yes . . . um no. Those plans have been delayed. He has to work this weekend, so we are going out next weekend." I fidgeted with the tattered edges of my book.

"That's too bad."

"Uh-huh." I now ran my fingers over the spine of my book.

"I'm meeting some friends for lunch on Saturday at Godfather's Pizza. You should bring some of your girlfriends and join us. Might be fun. We'll be there at twelve. We can talk some more about the all high and mighty Mr. Darcy."

"Sounds like fun." I said, smiling. I genuinely meant that, but pressed the book into my hand in an effort to contain my enthusiasm.

The bell rang.

"Great! I'll see ya then," He brushed past me on his way out. The heat radiating from his body strangely chilled my own body.

I watched him go for a moment, but since I didn't have time to check out any books, I turned and followed him.

"Following me?" He paused long enough for me to catch up with his long strides. He studied me with black eyes that were as rich and soft as velvet. A playful smile curled up the apples of his cheeks. The expression on his face was so inviting that I just wanted to take a bite of him.

Nervously, I placed a hand around the back of my neck and rubbed my shoulder. What was I thinking? I couldn't help it though. I'd never in my life seen a high school boy that was so good looking – other than Edward. "Um . . . well, not on purpose, but I guess so. I'm off to French class."

"Parlez-vous Francais?"

"Un peu. Et toi?"

"Le meme," he smiled as he came to stop next to a separate hall. "Well, I'm this way."

"And I'm this way," I pointed straight ahead.

"Bye," I gave a timid half wave.

"Bye," his lips pulled up into a smile.

Before he could leave, one of his football buddies tackled him. "Hey Beast," his friend slapped him on the arm. "Coach wants to see you."

"Now?"

His friend nodded and then for the first time noticed me. "Hey." He gave a quick nod my direction and then looked back at Ben. "Better see what he wants, Beast."

"Beast?" I asked.

"Football nickname," his friend replied.

Ben looked at his friend with haunted eyes. His bottom lip curled downward, "Okay, then see you guys later."

I watched Ben go and noticed that his shoulders seemed lower. Was he upset? I then turned to his friend and gave him a weak smile.

He nodded before disappearing into the mob now swarming the hall.

I headed off to class wondering if Ben was okay.

I didn't know what it was about this place, but I found myself strangely intrigued by the people – especially Edward and Ben. I did my best to concentrate on school, but the mysteries surrounding me still puzzled me.

Edward wasn't in class that afternoon and I was relieved. If that devil could read minds, that made me totally uncomfortable - enough to make me want to change classes. Today I was early to class, so I opened my book and started to read it.

"Hey, Bells," Mike said as he took a seat in front me. "What are you reading?"

I lifted my eyes and met Mike's.

" _Pride and Prejudice_ ," I answered. I slipped the bookmark back into place and closed my book. I knew that Mike wouldn't let me get away with ignoring him that easily.

"Oh, I vaguely remember that book," Eric said as he took the seat on my right. He placed his backpack on the floor and promptly unzipped the top.

"What book is that?" Angela said taking a seat on my left.

I held up the book.

"Oh, good one." She removed her bag from her desk and set it on the floor. I eyed all the bags now lining the rows and hoped that I wouldn't need to get up to sharpen my pencil. I'd surely trip and die. "I liked it a lot."

"Really?" Mike swiped the book from my hand. "I've never read it."

"It's alright," Eric replied. He opened up his notebook the whole while looking my direction, "You didn't miss much."

"Hey?" Angela adjusted her glasses. "It's a very good book."

"Well, of course, you'd like it. You're a girl and smart." Eric's eyes drifted from me to Angela.

"So?"

"Well, it was written for smart girls."

"Was not."  
"Was too."

The two of them bantered while Mike thumbed through the pages. "Maybe I should read it some time."

"You should," Angela insisted.

"Nah, man. Don't," Eric sounded sure of himself as he reached across the aisle, took the book from Mike, and returned it to me. "Trust me. It is chick lit."

"The gum?" Angela asked. She blew a bubble with her own gum and looked curiously at Eric.

"What?" Eric looked confused. "No. Not chiclet. Chick lit. Girl Literature."

"That's offensive," Angela scoffed. Her bubble had popped and she sucked it back into her mouth.

"How's that offensive?" Eric asked.

"It just is."

And then the two were off bickering again. Angela had this look on her face like she wanted to take the gum out her mouth and throw it at Eric.

The bell rang and Mrs. Patterson demanded our full attention as she explained our day's lesson. She made it clear that we had all better pay close attention. We'd be working in pairs later based on what we covered in class. She looked towards a few boys in the back of class and cleared her throat. She had that look of a falcon zoning in out its prey and I wondered if that's how the school had chosen its mascot. The boys set their pens down and looked at her.

The lesson was very Greek to me and I was glad that I was sitting alongside two smart students that could help me make sense of what was going on with all the terms. Five minutes into the lesson, the door opened. My eyes drifted to the door and saw that Edward stood in the middle like an Italian Renaissance artwork. My stupid heart betrayed me and quickened with inner longing. I could feel my pupils dilate the longer I trained my eyes on him. I tore them off him and looked down at my notes. My heart still popped like microwave popcorn as I could hear his soft steps approaching. His sweet scent proceeded him and for once I was the one left holding my breath. He took the only seat available to him. The one directly behind me. My heart sank. I just knew he was glaring at me with seething. I could practically feel it. I tried to guard my thoughts, but knew it was hopeless. He already knew that I found him attractive, but should that really surprise him? He was gorgeous and half the school probably agreed with me while the other half was jealous.

When it came time to release us into pairs, Edward tapped me on the shoulder. Electric sparks surged down my spine. I turned to face him with had to be one of my classic baffled expressions. He was smiling at me as if he were used to seeing girls with baffled expressions.

"Did you need something?" I asked. Hot waves swept over my face and I knew that I must be beet red.

"Yes. A partner. Would you like to be my partner?" His words washed over me like syrup on a pancake.

"Um . . . yes," I stammered the first word that came out of my mouth and was then shocked that I had actually agreed to pairing up with Edward. I couldn't even believe that we were talking to one another.

I stared into his gimlet eyes that were nearing the color of autumn leaves. Hadn't they been darker before? I wasn't entirely sure though because honestly I hadn't been spending that much time on his eyes. His eyes, while lovely, weren't necessarily his greatest feature. I could feel another wave of heat touch my cheeks. Edward's eyes now crinkled mirthfully and I noticed that his lips curled coquettishly into a lopsided smile.

I looked away and saw that other people had started on their assignment. I was now wishing I had partnered up with Angela or even Eric. I took one look at our worksheet and sighed. I didn't understand much of it and with Edward as a partner it was going to be impossible for me to concentrate.

Without even cracking a book or looking through his notes, Edward answered all the questions in neat penmanship. He then angled his paper in my direction. "Would you like me to explain it to you?"

"No, I'm fine." I should have said yes, but I was now curious about him and this might be the only chance I had to talk to him. I could always review my notes tonight.

As I copied his answers, he was the one grilling me. "You are new here. You name is Bella right?"

I nodded. Of course he knew that; he could read minds.

"And you are Edward."

It was his turn to nod.

"Your dad's a doctor," I said still scribbling down answers.

"Yes, how did you know that?'

"My family is friends with the Blacks."

"Close friends?" He leaned back into his chair and stared at me. "You're Mr. Swan's daughter aren't you?"

I nodded.

"How much do you know about Jacob's illness?"

"I think most of it, but why are you asking me? Don't you already know a lot about me?"

He looked at me with piercing eyes that were as hard and sharp as an Obsidian blade.

"I think maybe we should talk, but not here." He looked around. We both did. I noticed Mike was glaring at Edward.

"Agreed."

"After school?"

"Sure, I'll take my dog to the park at 4. You can meet me there."

Edward shifted in his seat. "Can we make it 6:30 or 7?"

"Seven," I agreed.

He then asked me all about my hometown. I couldn't believe he was asking me all these questions if he already knew so much about me, but then I just figured he was putting on a charade for those who were possibly eavesdropping like Mike.

After class was over, Edward was once again out the door quicker than I could have imagined. Mike looked relieved that I wasn't still talking to Edward. He stood over my desk waiting for me to gather my things. Angela and Eric were now bickering about feminism, but they also waited.

Mike walked me out of the room, but stopped as we neared the gym. "I have baseball practice after school today," he smiled at me, but didn't look happy.

Eric separated Angela and me as he stepped in between us and rested his arms on both our shoulders. Mike's face looked even less happy. "See you Mike," Eric steered Angela and me towards the parking lot. He chatted freely now, and Angela helped to push the conversation along which freed me up to think about my meeting with Edward later. Whatever did one say to vampires? And to handsome ones at that?

As I approached my car, I realized that Angela and Eric were looking at me expectantly. "What? Did I miss something?"

"Yes," Angela rolled her eyes. "We were talking about Homecoming."

"Homecoming as in the dance or the game?"

"Both," Eric shuffled his feet.

"Sorry," I replied. I was just thinking about today's Physics' lesson. I was totally lost and I'm still trying to figure it out. So what do you mean by both?"

Eric's face brightened. "So, both the game and dance are coming up in a few weeks. I was thinking that maybe we could get a group together."

"Oh," I shuffled my feet, "I'm not really into sports and I don't dance."  
Angela laughed. "Don't worry. Homecoming isn't really about either."  
"It isn't?"

"No. Just a bunch of kids hanging out."

"Oh, well, then yeah maybe."

Honestly the part of kids hanging out sounded worse than dancing or the game to me, but I didn't tell the others about my quirky anxiety. I said goodbye to my friends and quickly got into my car before I got myself committed to something I would truly detest. Homecoming sounded just awful! Crowds, Dancing, Sports. My worst nightmare.

That evening Chuck and I made plans to go over the Blacks on Friday night for dinner. We'd ordered pizza and bring a movie. I thought the idea sounded great. I tried hedging information out of my dad about what kind of work he was really doing, but he wouldn't budge. He insisted he'd tell me more when the time was right.

I had already done my homework and after calling Angela, I finally was beginning to understand a little of the Physics. So once I was finished with dinner and dishes I told my dad that I would walk Tiger. He seemed happy to have some uninterrupted TV time to himself.

I checked my watch 6:50. I hurried after Tiger. I didn't want to be late. I was sure Edward would wait, but I had so many questions burning through me, and admittedly I wouldn't mind looking at his chest again. Oh, but then I realized he'd probably be wearing a shirt if he planned to meet with me. Dang!

It only took me five minutes to get to the park, but Edward was already there leaning against a pine tree.

I was disappointed to see that he was wearing jeans and t-shirt.

"Something a matter?" He looked confused.

I scowled. Was he toying with me? He could read my thoughts and knew exactly was going on.

"Let's talk." I pointed towards a picnic table.

We both sat. Edward gracefully slipped into a seat, but I was all legs and arms as I tried maneuvering through Tiger's leash. Thankfully Tiger plopped down on the ground and lay still. He didn't seem nervous about Edward, but he wasn't excited to see him either. Maybe Tiger sensed that Edward was a dangerous creature.

Edward graced me with a brief smile and laid his hands upon the table like pieces of ivory.

"So where do we begin?" Edward studied my face with his honey colored eyes.

"Why don't you tell me about yourself?" I suggested.

He shook his head. "I think it be better for us both if you tell me what you know."

I looked at him trying to discern his tone. Was it cautious? Malice? Sad?

"Okay," I agreed and shifted my weight. "But it may sound weird."

He nodded. "I assure you I can handle weird. Go on."

I then blurted it all out. Everything. Everything I knew about him to everything about me. I couldn't look at him though. I was too mortified to do so. I kept my eyes lowered on the ground as I petted Tiger.

When I looked back up, Edward had this bemused smile and a hint of mirth in his eyes.

"What?" I tightened my grip on the leash. Was he making fun of me?

"You think I can read your mind?" He cooked his head to make sure that he could look me in the eye.

I looked away.

"Yes. You can read minds, right?"

"All my vampire life I have been able to read people's thoughts . . . that is until you came along."

I turned back to face him. His body was relaxed like a panther on a tree branch, but his face looked expectant.

"What do you mean until I came along?" I placed both my hands on my lap and leaned forward. I must have still been clutching the leash for I could feel it biting into my skin.

Edward smirked. "I assure you that I cannot read your mind."

"Why not?"  
"I don't know. It's never happened before."  
"Is that way you have acted so . . . weird around me?"  
He looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"The first couple of times we've met, you stared at me like you wanted to kill me."

Edward chocked. He thumped his chest. "Sorry. Your answer surprised me. I thought I had a better control of my facial expressions, but clearly not. But yes, it is true. I did want to kill you."

It was my turned to be shocked. My blood turned to ice. "But I thought you and your family only hunted animals."

Edward drew back his shoulders and clasped his hands together. "Look, Bella. I'm not proud of this. I should have better control. You are right. My family and I hunt animals. But unfortunately you are my singer."  
I was taken even more aback. Whatever did that mean? I was confused, but his words hit a little too close to home. I was a singer and a good one too. I never sang though because no matter how hard I tried, my songs always left people feeling sad – even when I sang happy tunes. I just had a haunting voice – alluring, but haunting.

"So what are you trying to tell me, Edward?"

He leaned forward and when he spoke the scent of honey washed over me and I was instantly at ease. "You are my _la tua cantante_ or my singer. It is a term we vampires use to explain someone like you-"

"Like me?"

He held up a perfect hand, "Let me finish. Blood is appealing to vampires but each vampire if they are lucky, or my case unlucky, will find a person whose blood is so appealing to them and them alone that it will call to them or sing to them."

"My blood sings?"

"No. It is just very, very desirable to me."

"And my blood will be this way to others too?"

"No just me. I mean other vampires will want your blood too, but not in the way I want your blood."  
"I'm still confused."

"Bella. The moment I smelled you, I wanted to kill you because your blood smells irresistible to me. But don't worry. I have learned to control it. I will not harm you."

I looked at him.

"Cross my heart." And he did.

My mouth opened and closed a few times, but I didn't know what else to say to him about my singing blood. What else could I say?

"So now you know about me. All about me. That I'm from the future and all."

He nodded and seemed to find the idea fascinating. "I suppose if I live long enough, I will be able to meet you again the future."

"Yeah, I suppose." My eyes looked upward as I thought about that.

He smiled. It was an irresistible smile too; one that drew me to him. I leaned in closer.

"I don't know much about vampires . . . about you."

"What do you want to know?" He placed his hands upon the table with his palms facing up.

I looked at him. "You can't read my mind?"

"No," he shook his head, but kept a careful eye trained on me. "It makes you a very interesting person for me."

I blushed as he raked his eyes across my eyes. I was so relieved that he could not read my mind.

"Why are you blushing?"

"Not important. Well, no. I'm just glad I don't have to worry that someone can read my private thoughts."

He shrugged. "I suppose, but it will take me some time to make some adjustments. I'm not used to knowing only half the information."

"Welcome to the real world." I smiled at him. "Now you know how the rest of us have to get by. It's exhausting. But tell me more about your diet. I'm not in danger, right?"

He laughed. "I assure you I will be a perfect gentlemen. You have no fear of me. Even though I am a hideous beast that could cause you harm, I won't. I can master my desires."

I looked at him. He wasn't a hideous beast. A handsome devil maybe, but not a monster.

"And why if my blood is irresistible to you, would you torture yourself?"

For the first time, Edward looked embarrassed.

"Sorry. I don't mean to make you feel awkward, but I need to know that I am safe." I said.

Edward looked at his hands and then up at me with eyes that willed me to understand. "At first, I thought I should leave, but then I decided I needed to master my desires. If I could do that with you, then I would never again have problem with other humans. Or at least that's what I believed. But then I discovered that I couldn't read your mind like I could the others and that interested me. I'm interested in you. You fascinate me like no one else can."

"I find that hard to believe."

He laughed. "But it is true."

I coiled the leash around my finger and then pursed my lips. "So tell me more about how this vampire thing works. I thought they couldn't be seen in the daylight. That they'd turn to dust or something."

Edward laughed. "Myth. We can be seen in the daylight, but daylight makes us feel funny."

"Funny? How?"

"It tingles and can make us itchy or sometimes even restless. Therefore, many vampires prefer to avoid the sun. And if we get too much exposure, and it has to be a lot, it can make us sick."

"People have that problem too."  
Edward nodded, "But for vampires it happens a little sooner."

"Stakes?" I asked. Chuck had already told me that stakes couldn't kill vampires, but I thought I'd better get the real scoop straight from the source.

"We can't eat them? We don't eat anything other than blood."  
I was confused. "No, not steaks like as in the cow, but stakes like in wooden stakes."  
Edward laughed and it was musical. "Oh, sorry. No, wooden stakes won't hurt us. We are very solid creatures. Stronger than stone. See." He reached his hand across the table and placed his hand upon mine. It was cold and hard like granite, but another spark shot through my body and I withdrew my hand.

"Garlic?"

He laughed, "No, but who really like garlic breath anyways?"

"So then how do you kill a vampire?"

"Why? Are you planning on kill me?"

"What?! No!"

He laughed. "I was only kidding. Really hot flames. Usually. Another vampire has to rip the other vampire apart and then set fire to the pieces. But if the fire is hot enough, people can do it. Flamethrowers work well. We also don't like Sulphur. It won't kill us, but it will give us painful hives."

"Oh." I felt bad talking about such a morbid subject with him. He was such a handsome creature. The idea of destroying such beauty seemed as if it must be a crime against the art world.

"What are you thinking?

I blushed.

He smiled. "I like it when you blush, but why are you blushing?"

I know that my color must have deepened for he leaned forward. "Bella?" His voice seemed playful.

"So what can you tell me about Jacob Black? Why is he not at school?" I quickly changed the subject.

"He's a newly made vampire. They have more control issues when it comes to their diets. Plus, he has all his extra powers from his being a Nephilim. He could really be dangerous to humans right now."

"Oh" I was saddened. "I had hoped to visit with him and his family on Friday."

He frowned. "I'm not sure that would be wise."

I must have looked sad.

"But we can go out for dinner and you can tell me more about why you don't like Homecoming."

I shot him an accusing look. "I thought you couldn't read my mind."  
"I can't. But remember I can read other people's mind," he smirked, "And believe me your name has been coming up a lot lately."

I buried my face in my hand and groaned.

Edward chuckled.

"You are awful."

Edward laughed even harder. "I know. I told you I was a beast. But you know something? If I didn't know better, Bella, I'd think you were a vampire or maybe a Nephilim."  
"What do you mean?" I straightened up.

He was grinning now, but also looked a bit uncomfortable. He licked his lower lip and when he spoke his voice tightened. "Vampires and nephilims have certain qualities about them that humans find attractive."

"You mean like looks?"

"Yes. . . ." his voice was still on edge, "And our voices are pleasant-"  
"And you smell good," I blurted out.

Edward shook with laughter and nodded his head.

"So what are you trying to say, Edward?"

His smile shifted from unabashed delight to something more mature. "How should I put this? Bella, people are noticing you. . . . boys are noticing you . . . . and they like what they see."

I groaned. "You're a beast."

He laughed. "And you're a beauty."

After I was sufficiently embarrassed and had all the information I needed for the night, I returned home. Edward was turning out to be insufferable, but at least he was pleasant to look at. I would just have to try and control my emotions around him. Apparently, his kind befuddled humans. I was relieved to know that it wasn't just me – that I hadn't suddenly gone all boy crazy or something. Chuck was still watching TV, but he let me know that Jessica had called. "I think she wants to go shopping with you this weekend."

"Okay, thanks Ch-dad," I said picking up the phone and dragging it into the kitchen.

The chord would only go so far, but I stretched it to the limit as I waited for someone on the other side to pick up.

"Hello?" A female voice inquired from the other end of the line.

"Jessica?"  
"Yes?"  
"It's me, Bella."  
"Hey, Bella. Did you get my message?"

"Yes, and I would like to go to the mall with you, but would you like to grab a bite to eat with me at Godfather's Pizza first? Ben said he and a group of guys were going and said I should come and bring some girls."

I had to remove the phone away from my ear. Jessica was squealing so loud. "Yes! Yes!" She shouted.

"Okay. Who's driving?"

"Oh, me." Jessica insisted. "I've seen you drive and no offense, but you're terrible. You drive like you walk. Crooked. "

I laughed, "Okay. I will see you tomorrow then."

So, it only took me four dozen pages to start hinting about Bella's secrets. Oops! My bad! But I will give you another hint. Her name is the perfect way to describe her! Really, wish I could have given her another name, but it is just too good not to use.


	3. Bella Gets Answers - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Bella gets answers, but of course those answers only lead to more questions.

And why is she suddenly so loopy for boys?

Friday, September 11, 1987

Friday at school was surprisingly pleasant. Ben and I sat by each other in first period and discussed _Pride and Prejudice_. I can't even begin to describe how giddy I felt. Ben was not only a super hottie, but he was so interesting. Well, I found him interesting anyways.

I seriously tired concentrating, but my thoughts clouded up every single time he moved. All I wanted him to do was touch me with his hands. I nuzzled in closer, but sadly, there wasn't any touching. Not even on accident. The heat from his body was enough to turn my mind into porridge though. I probably sounded like a kindergartener any time I opened my mouth, but he was kind and smiled at all my responses.

Oh and that beautiful mouth of his was going to be the death of me. Thankfully, Mr. Parks took over class and put an end to our discussion before I could do something stupid and declare my love for this boy.

I had no clue what had happened to me and why I had turned into a puddle of raging hormones, but I had. Ben drew me in like nothing I had ever known, and I had no idea how I was going to control myself or if quite frankly I wanted that. Why can't a girl have a little fun?

Class with Ben was an eternity. My insides smoldered for him and there was nothing I could do to squelch the feeling and besides it was sort of tormentingly pleasant.

When the bell finally rang to dismiss us, I was a bowl of jellified nerves that tingled with excitement. Why, I even tripped over my own feet standing up. Gloriously, Ben steadied me with his hand. My heart skipped a beat, but started again as he smiled at me.

"Um, you okay?"

I nodded. I thought I would melt right through his skin, but somehow I managed to stand without further mishap. "I'm just a klutz."

He rubbed my arm. "Well, glad I was here."

I smiled and nodded again. "Yeah, thanks."

"You think you can make it the rest of the way by yourself or are you going to have problems?" His tone and smile suggested he was teasing me.

I did my best not roll my eyes. I was a bit of a hazard and was always falling around him, but I didn't want him thinking of me that way. I could take care of myself. I wasn't helpless.

"I'll be fine." I assured him and straddled my backpack snuggly across my shoulder as a counterweight to any imbalance issues I might encounter between my seat and the door.

"Well, good. I'd like to see you tomorrow and if you end up in the hospital that wouldn't be so much fun."

I smirked, but thanked him as we exited the room in single file.

I was keenly aware that I was the first to leave the room and I hoped that my backside looked pleasingly enough for the guy.

"Later, Bella," he said with two of his fingers pointed my way, "and stay on those feet."

I sighed and was about to say something snarky, but he was suddenly lost in a sea of football players dragging him off to class.

"Come on, Beast," I heard them say as I turned and plowed into Edward.

"Ow," I rubbed my shoulder and was wondering if I shouldn't find clothing that had shoulder pads in them. Maybe that fashion look would actually be useful for me.

"Bella," Edward nodded at me. "You like especially nice today."

I blushed slightly. He was probably right. I spend a little more time on myself than usual. "Thanks," I fidgeted with the edge of blouse.

"You know we really should stop running into each other like this," he said with a crooked smile.

"I agree," I replied as I rubbed my arm again. "You leave marks every time. Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were doing it on purpose."

"Now, why would I do that?" His fingertips rested lightly on his jaw and he continued his crooked smile.

Something about his adorable lips flustered me and all I could manage to get out was a declaration that I was late for class. As I pushed around his solid frame, I said goodbye.

I could hear him laughing as I rounded the corner. Finally out of eyesight from these annoyingly gorgeous guys, I rolled my eyes like no one's business. I was being a stupid, silly little girl swooning at anything with good hair and soft lips.

The crowds in the halls had thinned out and I knew I was going to be late, so I bolted. Big mistake. I tripped and slide across the floor like an out of control car on ice. Luckily, I wasn't hurt, but my school supplies scattered like kids on a field trip to the zoo. I sighed as the bell rang and knew I was now late for class.

My day didn't get any better either. When lunch rolled around, I wanted to sit with Ben, but he was sitting with his football buddies and I was too shy to intrude. I stole a few glances his way, but he never once looked my way. My heart sank. I was clearly more interested in him than he was me. But why did I think it would be any other way. He was a god among men and I was a mere mortal of a woman who in the right light could pass for attractive – or so I liked to think.

Jessica watched my eyes flittering in Ben's direction.

"Just go talk to him," she said handing me an apple.

I set the apple aside. "And say what?"

"Hi. Duh!" Jessica picked up the apple and took a bite.

"And then what?" I gave her my best exasperated look.

She swallowed her food and then gave me a shit-eating grin, "Tell him you want a quickie."

I nearly toppled out of my seat in surprise.

Everyone at the table stopped talking and looked at us.

I must have been tomato soup red.

"Ah, it's only Sparks giving dating advice again," Angela said and she went back to talking with Eric.

"Come on, Bells. It's not that hard to talk to boys," she grabbed my wrist and starting pulling on me.

Thank the gods the bell rang and the football players actually were among the first to leave.

"You better be better at this tomorrow." She placed her hands on her hips and looked as if she were about to admonish me. The she reached out and grabbed my wrist. "Nah. We're doing this now."

She dragged me through the halls like I was a lost child and she was looking for my mother. We never found the boys and she finally gave up. With her finger in my face and narrowed eyes, she said, "Tomorrow, Bells."

After that I did my best to avoid Jessica the rest of the day and even made it home without seeing her. I knew she'd make me doing something embarrassing and was now a little nervous about tomorrow. I put those thoughts aside though. I needed to think about meeting the Blacks again for the first time in ages.

That evening Chuck and I headed over to the Black's house. I was nervous. I would be seeing Edward again, but now that I knew he couldn't read my mind, I felt much better, but still I felt uncomfortable hanging out with the gorgeous vampires, a family of Nephilims, and my dad. Not much of a party, and yet I was also strangely curious.

Edward answered the door.

"Umm. . . uhhh. . . hi," I stumbled over the words, trying to hide my surprise of seeing him answer the door.

He gave me a devilish grin that was slightly crooked, but on him it just fit.

"Come in," he pulled the door further open and stepped aside.

As I entered, it was all I could do to refrain from taking a bit out of Edward's neck. Once again, he smelled like freshly baked chocolate cookies.

"Hello, Edward," Chuck's voice was cautious but polite as he followed behind me.

The sound of my father's voice roused me from delirium.

"Bella. Mr. Swan. Hello," a tall, pale girl with eyes the color of glaziers traipsed into the foyer with her long, brown hair trailing behind her. She had a smile as big as Texas and her teeth were almost blinding white. Her thin face and pale coloring stirred a memory. This was one of Jacob's older sisters.

She swept into the room with porteuse grace and extended her arm, "I am Rachel Black. It is nice to see you again, Bella."

"It is nice to see you too, Rachel," I replied as I took her hand in mine.

As soon as our hands met, she pulled me into hug and patted me on the back with her free arm. I stumbled a bit, but she was strong enough to steady me.

"Ah, Bella. Jacob will be so happy to see you again. It has been a long time since he's had any human company," Rachel still hadn't released me from her hug, but shifted so that we were now in a side by side embrace. Her silken hair brushed my cheek and smelled strongly of cotton candy.

Chuck gave Rachel a quick side hug and then patted Edward on the arm. I noticed that Chuck flexed his hand a little after patting Edward. I grinned privately. After bumping into Edward myself, I knew that the boy was built like a rock. I'm sure my dad's hand was a little sore.

The four of us left the foyer and entered into one of the most ornate living rooms I'd seen in my life. Oil paintings from centuries past cluttered the walls and thick oriental rugs covered the hardwood floors. Everything in the room looked expensive and of good quality. The room wasn't very large though and with so many paintings, the room looked even smaller.

Rachel steered me to a gold, velvet clad sofa and insisted that I have a seat. The sofa was so plush I felt as if I were sitting on a mound of down pillows. I noted the quality of the fabric and realized that someone had good taste. Then I remember Chuck telling me that Nephilims had expensive taste. I briefly wondered if my mother was part Nephilim. She too liked expensive things.

Rachel sat next to me, her long hair flittered like a cloud as it slowly descended upon her shoulder. Both Edward and Chuck sat opposite us in a set of brown leather winged back chairs. They exchanged awkward looks before focusing on Rachel.

"Rebecca has returned to Paris this past week. She is working for Channel," Rachel smiled at me as if that news would excite me. She fussed briefly over one of her manicured nails and again I was strongly reminded of my mother and her need for perfection when it came to looks.

I smiled back pleasantly, "I'm sorry that I missed her."

Rachel nodded and then turned to my father. "Unfortunately, my dad isn't here right now. I'm sure that you are aware that he is still at work." Rachel scowled and the look almost frightened me. Her face, while still beautiful, took on a hard, powerful look that inspired fear.

I shivered slightly.

She patted my knee gently as if she sensed my discomfort. "I apologize. Things have been a little difficult for my family lately and I do enjoy having my dad here for Jacob's sake."

"So how is Jacob? He is available to see us, right?" I shifted in my seat in an effort to better look at Rachel. The pillow fabrics were cozy, but confining as if the couch wanted me to simply relax and forget all worldly cares.

"Of course. He should be down soon, isn't that right, Edward?" She patted my knee, but glared at Edward.

Edward sat proudly with his hands folded on his lap. "Yes. Emmett, Rosalie and Carlisle are with him now."

"And what of the others? Are they still in town or have the left?" Chuck ran his hands over the arms of his chair. He sat stiffly in his chair as if he were ready to exit at a moment's notice.

I furrowed my brows and looked at my dad. I supposed he was talking about the other half of Edward's pretend family, Esme, Jasper, and Alice, but I wasn't sure.

"They have left town," Rachel replied as if the news were but a trifle. In fact, she gave a dismissive wave and then smiled at me again with her insanely white teeth.

I could feel my brows tightening. My father had secrets and I wanted to know them. I wanted to know them now. I wrung my hands together and then leaned forward. I looked pointedly at Chuck. "This is a nice visit and all, but I thought we had a purpose in coming here. Now, if you don't think I should know what's going on then that's fine, but otherwise could you just go ahead and fill me in on what's going on? I'm really confused." I gave him my best little girl pouty face in an effort to help seal the deal.

Edward chuckled, but Rachel's laugh was loud and unabashed. "Mr. Swan, sounds like you do have some explaining to do then."

Chuck shifted uncomfortably. My dad, like me, wasn't exactly verbose. While I was the bookish type that preferred to be lost in a good story, my dad was always the quiet, but observant type.

"There's been a lot of things going on lately," Chuck replied as he swept a hand across his head and down his neck.

"A lot," Rachel chorused.

I shifted my eyes around the room.

Edward sat tall in his seat, but he wore a comfortable smirk on his face as if secrets were commonplace for him.

"I'm not exactly sure where to start," Chuck rubbed at the base of his neck. He looked at the others and then at me.

"How about we start with Jacob before he gets here," I suggested.

Rachel clapped her hands together as if that were a delightful idea.

"Yes. My sweet, baby brother. He's such a sweetheart. Poor thing though. As you know he's not . . . well," her voice wavered, but she continued, "Seven months ago. My brother was fighting a troublesome vampire that had come to town. And while my brother was successful in destroying this vampire, he was bitten. So now, my strong, powerful Nephilim brother has been altered into an even stronger Halfling. He's some sort of mutant hybrid who now has the powers from both Nephilims and vampires."

Rachel looked at me and I nodded for her to continue. Most of this I already knew. "We heard about the Cullens from the Grimm Brothers-"

"The what?" I twiddled my fingers as I pondered that term.

"We'll circle back to that point," Chuck rubbed his knees with both his hands.

Rachel looked at my father a moment and then continued on with her story. "The Cullens came here to help Jacob adjust to his new lifestyle and things were looking promising for us. Jacob was responding well and even had amazing control around certain humans right from the start – some, but not all." She looked at me and then looked me up and down as if she were appraising me. "Still week by week, he improved in his ability to refrain. But just when we thought he might be able to re-enter society, he took a turn for the worst and went on a rampage while on a trip to see Rebecca in Paris this summer. It was this single event that attracted the attention of the Volturi. They now-"

I leaned forward. "The what?"

Edward sighed, but he didn't stir from his seat, "The Volturi are an ancient group of vampires residing in Italy who like to ensure the safety of all vampires. Therefore in a way they govern the actions of all vampires. They don't want our kind exposed to humans because of course then vampires would be in danger."

I pursed my lips together. I wasn't entirely clear on the concept, but I was following along well enough.

"So what did Jacob do?" I looked at Rachel again.

With this question, the atmosphere in the room shifted. I could hear movement from all three directions, but no one looked me in the eye or even answered.

"Well?"

Rachel squeezed my knee, "All you need to know is that was in the past and Jacob is just fine now. . . . But that the Volturi are interested in him."

"Interested? How?"

Edward stood up from his chair so fast that I wasn't sure what had happened. He was just a blur. He then slowed and paced the room as he stroked the base of his ear. "Alice has the ability to see visions. She has gaps in these visions when it comes to Nephilims and these visions also shift as people change their minds, so we can't really say for sure what Alice sees, but she can see that the Volturi have been watching and discussing what to do with Jacob. He interests them. They are worried he might expose vampires to the world so for that he is a threat and by their laws should be destroyed, and yet they see potential in him and if we are successful in teaching him restraint, then they might just want him to come to work for them."

"Destroying him would be bad," I agreed, "But why would it be bad if he worked for them."

"Because they are vampires, Bella. They kill people." The voice came from behind me and was both deep and sad.

I stood from the coach and turned to watch as a tall, thin, black headed angel of a boy glided down the stairs like a cloud descending. Three other people followed him. Two I recognized from school, but the third I didn't. He was as pale as all the vampires I'd ever seen and was rather blonde. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties, but he had an air about him that made him seem so much older.

We waited until the four joined us.

Jacob walked straight over to me and shook my hand. "Bella. It has been a long time."

"It has."

"Please, sit back down." He then noticed that none of us had any refreshments. "Rachel?! I don't expect Edward to remember to offer our guests anything to drink. He's a vampire and not use to that sort of thing, but you should know better." He smirked at her playfully and although his chuckle was small, it was infectious and soon we were all laughing.

"Sorry," Rachel shook her head as if she were trying to rattle memories into place. "I don't know where my manners are."

Both Rachel and Jacob had a strange way of saying things. In fact, as my memories started to come flooding back, all the Blacks spoke that way. I never could place the accent. I wasn't sure if it was from a different part of the world, a different time, or if it was perhaps not an accent at all, but an articulation issue.

Both my dad and I declined drinks. All I cared about was getting some information.

Since I had remained standing, Jacob took my hand and led me to the others. "Have you meet Edward's brother and sister, Emmett and Rosalie?"

"No, I have not, but I have seen you both at school. It is nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Bella," Emmett replied. He had a smile as board as his shoulders, and he looked like an advertisement model for body building supplements.

We shook hands. It was like shaking hands with granite. I now know how my dad must have felt.

Rosalie took a seat in the far corner and glared at me with cat-like eyes. Even with the look of disdain painted across her flawless face, she looked like a runway model. "Hello, Bella. I'm Rosalie. And I'm not just Edward's sister, but I am Emmett's girlfriend." She patted the empty seat next to her as if she wanted Emmett to leave me alone and sit by her.

"And I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen," said the youthful, blonde man standing alongside Jacob.

"Oh." I laughed a little "You look so young. I thought maybe you were related to the Blacks."

Carlisle took a step back and then examined Jacob. "You know we do look a little alike in the nose."

"But my nose is cuter," Jacob joked.

My eyes raked the room. It was such a bizarre scene. The room, although ornate, was relatively predictable. The occupants, however, were not. I couldn't believe that I was in the same room with two Nephilims, four vampires, and my dad.

"Please sit down, Bella," Jacob said with a smile that just lit up his whole face, "And let us know if you need anything. Vampires have no need for food and drink and Nephilims can go awhile without such things too. However, if you need anything, anything at all, don't be shy. Speak up and I'll have Rachel get it for you."

I smiled at Jacob. It was hard not to. He had such a sunny smile that I felt so at ease with him and wanted nothing more than to see a smile on his face. I sat back down since it seemed to please Jacob. And like I said, I wanted to please him.

Jacob then circled the coffee table as he went towards Edward. I lost sight of his smile as he crossed the room, and the room suddenly felt darker. It was as if a cloud had passed the sun, but as soon as he found a seat and faced me again with his radiant smile, I was relieved.

Jacob's smile stretched the distance as he swept his eyes across the room. "I am so lucky to have so many people care about me."

Rosalie scoffed, but Emmett quieted her by patting her knee.

"So. I am part vampire now. That's just the way it is. But thanks to Carlisle, his family, and my own. I don't seem to be a danger. Yes, I have made the Nephilim community nervous, but they have come to accept me now they have been assured that I will not be a threat, and that it has been established that if I do become a threat, then I am pubic enemy number one."

Rachel stirred in her seat, "But Jacob-"

"It's okay. Rachel. That's just the way it is," Jacob's smile didn't waver once. He seemed to be so self-assured and confident with himself. I was impressed. It had to have been difficult for him, but he was handling the situation with such grace and dignity. "The real problem is the Volturi. If they don't accept me, they'll destroy me, and if they do accept me, they want me to come work for them so that they can control me. And of course if I go to work for them, then a certain portion of the Nephilim community wants to destroy me."

Rachel stirred again. "We won't let them. Any of them. No one is going to hurt you," Rachel swept across the room, knelt beside her brother, and took him into her arms. "We will send you into the future were no one knows about this."

"But then he can't be monitored," Rosalie jumped from her seat and paced the room.

"Well, then we'll all go with him," Emmett smiled and cracked his knuckles.

"We can't send vampires into the future and that includes Jacob," Chuck said as he stared at Rachel. "You know that."

"Change the rules," Rachel persisted.

"Don't think it'll help," Chuck replied. "The vampires would probably just seek him out in the future."

"It'd buy us time."

"It's not going to work, Rachel." Jacob said.

"Is it the problem with the time traveling?" She twisted her long brown hair into a bun.

"What problem?" I sat forward. My voice must have portrayed my fear. I didn't want to get stuck in the past. It was interesting and all, but I was a girl from the future. I could adjust for a little while, but going into the past was like camping. At some point you want to go back to modern conveniences.

Chuck held up a hand to calm me, "We are experiencing problems. We can't go any further back in time than 1950 and we are worried we will lose that too. Every month we are losing another decade and we don't know what is causing the problem,"

I looked at my dad. "And travel to the future?"

"No issues, sweetheart. You don't have to worry about that. Traveling forward into time is relatively easy. It's going back in time that's tricky and for some unexplained reason we are having issues."

I nodded. I wasn't very scientific and knew very little about time travel. All I knew was that for nearly fifty years travel into the future had been possible and that time travel into the past was about twenty years in the making.

"Billy Black is very smart. He's perfect for this sort of job. He knows things both spiritual and technical. He will be able find what is causing the disturbances whether it is something related to the ley lines or if it is something technical-"

"Or if it is something else," Rosalie interrupted.

Edward rolled his eyes. "I don't think this has anything to do with the Volturi."

"Sounds like sabotage to me," Rosalie stood and stretched her long arms.

"Is she right, Ch-dad?"

"I don't know. We can't out rule sabotage. That's always a possibility and by anyone really, but as of now all our equipment looks fine. At this point, there is no indication of sabotage."

"So it probably isn't something to do with the technology then?"

"Probably not."

I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut. "So let me get this straight. Jacob is physically okay, but is under possible threat from either the Volturi or his own community, and there is a problem with time travel. Is this correct?"

"Yes."

"And is there anything else that I should know?"

All eyes turned to my dad.

He cleared his throat. "I am not just a time cop."

"Yes. That's been established."

"I am a member of a clandestine organization called the Grimm Brothers. We have named ourselves after the legendary Grimm Brothers and are researchers of mythological creatures. We feel that like Homer, the Grimm Brothers were not just writing about made up stories, but were chronicling actual events. Sometimes we even go back in time to do our research. I am one of their researchers and have been researching vampires."

Rosalie hissed. "Some would say you are the reason magical creatures do not exist."

Emmett stood and wrapped his arms around Rosalie more in the effort to comfort than restrain her.

My dad shook his head. "I can assure you that Grimm Brothers are researchers, not 'witch hunters.'"

Rosalie glared at my dad and my heart shivered.

Emmett whispered to Rosalie and her eyes softened, but I could still see a defiant clench to her jaw.

"Rosalie. I know that many of these magical creatures have died out in the past. That is why it is important for us to go back into the past and tell their story, but I assure you that we wouldn't have hurt them. That was someone or something else from the past. Besides even if we wanted to we couldn't. The past is fixed. Nothing we do will impact it."

Rosalie turned her face away, but I could still see the arrogant, questing look in her eye as she briefly scanned my face. "That's just a theory. Besides, the Grimm Brothers are not to be trusted," Rosalie maintained her position. "Alice has seen something dark about them."

"What do you mean?'' I asked. My palms were sweating now and I balled the edge of my shirt in my hands to help absorb the moisture. Thank the gods I was wearing a dark gray cotton shirt.

Edward shot Rosalie a dark look, "You know that her visions aren't always correct."

"What is she talking about?" I looked at Edward, but pointed at Rosalie. My head was reeling, but I still wanted answers even if they were bizarre.

Edward hung his head.

"Edward?" I asked.

Silence.

"I deserve to know." My fists were balled up in my shirt again and I was leaning on the edge of my seat. I scanned the room. Silence.

I looked at Rosalie, but she was looking at Edward. All the vampires were.

I turned to Jacob. He shrugged.

Rachel sighed and stood up. "Rosalie and Emmett. Why don't you check on dinner? I think maybe I can explain this best to Bella," She then turned to me. "The vampires are nervous because when Alice looks at the future for you and your dad she sees darkness. No one knows what that means. See, that hasn't happened to her before. If someone or something is not human, her visions are blank, but when she sees humans, she sees snippets of a story, but with you and your dad, she sees only shadows. Do you understand? Something about your dad and especially you isn't responding in the normal way it would for a human, but I personally am not worried. The Blacks trust your father, and the Cullens should too."

Rachel looked at Rosalie who simply scoffed as she clasped her hand around her boyfriends. She turned on her heels, clearly ignoring Rachel's last remarks.

I watched as Emmett and Rosalie quickly left the room. Emmett had his hand in Rosalie's. They both walked with porteuse grace that for a klutz like me was painful to watch. While Emmett had the strut of a bear, Rosalie had a voluptuous sway that was directly opposed to my clunky steps. Not only could Rosalie walk without falling, she could stare at me with hate the entire time.

I pressed my hands together now that I was sweated out, and faced Rachel. "So then there is nothing to worry about? This darkness doesn't mean anything."

"True," Rachel agreed, "but it is something that puts the Cullens on edge. Plus, as I understand it, Edward can't read your thoughts either."

"Yes," I swallowed. "That is correct."

Rachel laughed and looked at Edward, "I bet he likes that."

Edward graced her with a half-smile.

Rachel then patted my shoulder, "You are an odd duck, Bella. But we all like you. . . and your dad. You are part of this family now. Isn't that right, Edward?"

"So we are family now?" Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Of course. Through Jacob," She readjusted the bun on her head and smiled at both Jacob and Edward. "And the Swans have always been family too."

Jacob laughed. "One big happy family."

With lots of secrets I thought. But I kept my mouth shut. I had wanted information and now that I had it, I didn't know what to do with it. For the time being it was best to smile and be glad that neither Alice nor Edward could get a reading on my thoughts. I had a lot of things to sort out.


	4. Chapter 6 & 7 Bella's Birthday

Chapters 6 & 7 – Bella has a birthday & it is full of surprises.

Saturday, September 12, 1987

The next day, Jessica and I joined Ben and his friends for pizza. It was nice to be around normal people again. The restaurant was long and narrow and decked out in floor to wall wood. My tennis shoes stuck to the floor and I wondered when the last time the floors had been moped.

"Hello, Sparks. Bella," Ben stood up from his chair as Jessica and I approached the loud bunch of boys. There were three more of them and while they looked our way and said hello, they were mostly concerned with the idea of throwing wadded up napkins at one another or spilling salt across the table.

I sighed. This group of boys was exactly what I thought of when I thought of high school boys. I was beginning to regret coming.

Ben ignored his friends and walked around the table to properly greet Jessica and me. His black hair was swept into a neat low hanging ponytail and he wore another skin tight shirt. His muscles strained against the material so much so that I was too busy admiring his body to notice the color of his shirt.

"Here's a seat for you, Sparks," Ben pulled a chair out for her.

"Thanks," she sat down next to a boy with pale blonde hair and eyes the color of ice. He had the faintest hint of freckles underneath a flawless tan. He wore shorts and a sleeveless shirt that had an image of a football on the chest. "How are you doing, Gary?"

"Good." Gary threw his arm around the back of her chair. Then in one fluid motion, he drew the chair, with Jessica in it, closer to himself.

Jessica giggled with her hands across her chest. She was wearing a low cut blouse that showed off her cleavage, and when she pressed her arms across her chest, her bosoms nearly popped out of her top. The boys seemed to like that.

"It wouldn't be a party without, Sparks," Gary's voice was low and husky as he leaned in closer, probably hoping for a better view of Jessica's ample bosoms.

"You can come sit next to me, Bella," Ben coughed nervously, but smiled. Then as he led me back to two free seats, he took my hand into his own. I felt a quickening of my heart and not in the way I did with Edward. This was something deeper – more primal – animalistic even. I flinched slightly and he let go. I could still feel the ghost of his heat on my hand and I was left yearning for more, but my reaction had caused him to keep further away.

Dang it! I hadn't meant to offend him. I flinched because I had been surprised. Surprised by his forwardness and even more surprised by my reaction to his touch. Still, I had caused him to let go and I didn't know what to do or say to get him to touch me again.

Ben pulled out my seat and I sort of just fell into it. Graceful, I thought to myself. Just great. I was making a mess of things. I looked at Ben and he was still smiling at me, and he didn't look as if he were pitying me either.

"We all did the buffet," Ben swept his hand across the table in front of him in an effort to show the reason for the large amount of food and plates already in front of them.

I nodded. "Sounds like the thing to do then."

I then looked across the table at Jessica. "I guess we should get in line and order."

"If the boys left us anything," she smile replied with a broad smile.

Gary still had his arms draped around the back of her chair, so she had to angle her way out facing away from me, but I saw her fumbling for her purse and heard her mumbling, "Meet you there in a minute."

I stood up and Ben did the same.

"What are you doing?" I asked as nicely as I could, but I wasn't used to boys his age acting so proper.

He pulled my chair even further away from me as if he feared I would trip over it. He leaned into the chair towards me and smiled, "I invited you and your friend here. It is my treat."

"Um. . . no, that's okay. I got this."

"I insist," he let go of the chair and straightened up to his full height. He ambled a step or two in my direction and waited.

I mumbled a thank you and negotiated my way around the table.

Ben walked beside me, but kept a safe distance. This saddened me. I hadn't meant to rebuff him or any attempts he might have had at flirting. I did find him physically attractive which surprised me. I'd never felt like this before other than maybe around Edward, but I reminded myself that what I felt for Edward wasn't real. It was fake. Contrived. A dangerous trap. A vampire tactic to lure in its victim.

Now, what I felt with Ben was deep. Raw. Sensual. I didn't know him from Adam, but I didn't care. What I felt for Ben was like nothing I'd ever felt before. It was purely physical. I didn't have to know anything about him – other than his body.

I blushed. This was stupid. This was so unlike me. Besides I needed to concentrate as I maneuvered a set of steps leading down to the counter.

Jessica bumped into me with her shoulder and whispered, "Do you think Gary likes me?"

I turned to look. Gary wasn't watching us. He was instead pouring salt into Ben's drink. "I don't know. Maybe."

"He keeps finding reasons to touch me."

"Yeah, well then maybe."

I turned back towards Ben and stumbled into the couple in front of us. Ben placed his right arm around me and steadied me before I could do any more damage. I could have dissolved like sugar in water as he hung on to me with his powerful hand. With his arm draped around my shoulder, I could feel his heat seep into my bones like butter on a biscuit. Two video games in the corner beeped in alarm as if they sensed that I would overheat and go into a nuclear meltdown.

Jessica snickered.

"Sorry," she apologized to the elderly couple, "Geesh, Bella. We can't take you anywhere. You're like a bull in a china shop."

"I know," I groaned in embarrassment. I looked at the wood floor and then the well varnished wooden tables surrounding us. "This place is a death trap for me. Everything is slippery or sticky or squished together."

"I'm surprised you didn't trip on the stairs," Jessica giggled.

"You do seem a bit unsteady," Ben smiled good-naturally. Then he looked a bit horrified at what he said. He retracted his arm and placed both hands out in front of him and was motioning them about as if he were trying to take back his words, "Um. I didn't mean like crazy. I mean like unstable. No, clumsy. No-"

Laughing, I interrupted. "It's okay. It's common knowledge that I'm a klutz."

"Well . . . yes . . . maybe, but I shouldn't have said anything about it. I'm sorry," he fumbled around in his back pocket until he pulled out his wallet.

I looked at his leather wallet and frowned. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Paying for you and Sparks-"

"Oh, no you're not," I unzipped my purse and extracted my own wallet.

"Two buffets," Ben said as he crossed in front of me to get to an available cashier, "And I'm the one paying." He then turned back at me and winked.

I scowled, but shoved my wallet back into my purse as he handed over a wad of bills to the cashier.

"You know you are putting your life at risk crossing me like that. I could've tripped, fallen on you, and killed you," I taunted. I couldn't keep my sultry smile at bay. Ben was thrilling and worth smiling at. He both excited and frustrated me. I found I liked that combination just a little too much.

Ben scoffed.

"A waive like you? You can't harm a beast like me," Ben pocketed his wallet and then gave a cat-ate-the-canary grin. "Besides I'll risk it. Fall away!"

He handed Jessica and I plastic cups and then headed over towards the buffet table, but stepped aside to let us pass.

"Ben's a keeper. Oh, and by the way, he's rich," Jessica whispered into my ear as she patted me on the shoulder. Then speaking up she added, "Thanks, Ben."

"No problem, Sparks," He tasseled her hair like an older brother would.

I was beginning to realize that he was a hands-on sort of guy. Maybe Ben wasn't really into me. Maybe he was just flirty with everyone. I twisted my lips to the side and wondered how to proceed. I didn't have much experience with people, especially boys. I had no idea of even how to flirt. Besides, maybe I didn't even want that from Ben. Shouldn't I get to know him? Maybe he was all looks and had nothing going on upstairs. Or maybe we had nothing in common. I pushed that thought aside. That couldn't be true. Hadn't I seen him carrying a stack of books? And hadn't we even had a brief discussion over one of my favorite books?

I piled my plate with mostly salad, but put on two slices of pepperoni pizza as well.

"Here let me take your drink for you," Ben took the glass right of my hand.

"Worried I might spill?" I pouted.

"No. I just thought it would free your hands up to get your silverware," He pointed towards a tray of utensils at the end of the buffet.

"Oh, sorry," I said, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see that he was stifling a smile. I was a little irked at him. Was he teasing me? What was his deal? Did he, like Edward, find me amusing? Was I to be the class clown? Then thinking about class clowns, I remembered Gary having poured salt into his drink. "Ed-Ben," I caught my mistake immediately and hurried on with my sentence, "You might want another drink and maybe new food too. Gary put salt into your drink."

Ben grumbled and left me to get another glass.

When we approached the long varnished table that was by now coated with a thin layer of salt and napkin wads, Gary pestered Ben to take a drink from his other old cup.

Ben wouldn't fall for the bait.

As we sat down, Ben introduced me to his other friends, Tom and Randy. Tom was towering block of stone. He could easily have been close to seven feet tall. Despite his size he was very friendly seemed no more like a threat than any typical gentle giant. Randy was also tall, but looked like child compared to Tom. Unlike Tom, Randy was anything but gentle and seemed rather rowdy.

"So, you going to enter that big Dungeons and Dragons competition at the library?" Gary smirked at Ben like he was trying to goad him or something.

"Just because I like Lord of the Ring triology doesn't mean I like D&D," Ben balled up a napkin and threw it at Gary.

Gary dodged the napkin but then leaned across the table towards me. "This one's a big nerd," he pointed towards Ben. "He actually likes reading."

Jessica laughed. "So does Bella. They'd perfect for each other."

I blushed.

Gary joined Jessica in laughter.

"Don't make me unleash the beast," Ben threw another napkin at Gary which only made him laugh harder.

"Excuse me for a moment," Ben left the table, but I think he must have kicked Gary from under the table because Gary flinched.

After lunch, we all went outside. Tom and Randy were the first to leave. Ben and I waited while Jessica and Gary shared a cigarette. Neither Ben nor I cared for smoke, so we walked a little ways down the strip center to get away.

"You have nice eyes," Ben said as he pulled a strand of hair from my eyelashes.

"Really? Brown? They're boring?"

"You think brown eyes are boring?" He looked hurt.

"Not all brown eyes. Just mine."

"You're silly. Your eyes are great! They are very solid and grounded."

"You mean they're like dirt."

Ben laughed. "Will you stop it? You have captivating eyes. I don't know how to describe it. They sing to me."

I looked at him. What kind of boy talked like that? "They sing to you?"

He looked down at his feet and then back up at me with smoldering dark eyes of his own. "Come on, don't make this hard on me."

"Sorry," I shuffled my feet. I wanted him to kiss me, but once again I'd ruined my chances.

"Bella," Jessica called from the curb. "It's getting late and I promised my parents I'd be back by 4:30." She threw her cigarette on the street and stamped it out with her foot all the while tapping her watch with her finger.

I shrugged at Ben apologetically. "Thanks for lunch. Maybe we can do this again sometime?"

He smiled. "I'd like that."

"Bye, then." I gave him a half wave and then sprinted towards Jessica.

"You'll have to work faster than that, Bella," Jessica grabbed me around the arm and dragged me to her car. "Geesh, girl. I gave you enough time to kiss him, didn't I?"

"Um," I flustered and rubbed the back of my neck. "I've only just met the guy, Sparks."

"So?" She let go of my arm and fumbled through her purse probably looking for keys, "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. Might as well start now."

I looked at her and shook my head. "You are terrible, Sparks. Absolutely terrible."

She laughed hard. "Just get in the car, geek. We've got some serious shopping to do," she unlocked my door and then went around to let herself in. "So, Bella. You have the boys just lined up. Ben, Edward, Jacob-"

"Whoa wait," I held up my hands trying to stop the list of names, "What are you talking about? Edward and Jacob."

"Eric lives down the straight from the Blacks and he said that he saw that the Cullens arrived at the Blacks around 5:00 last night and then twenty minutes later, you and your dad showed up too."

"Oh that," I laughed, "my dad and Mr. Black work together and they are friends. That was nothing. Just dinner."

Jessica snorted. "Just dinner with two gorgeous hunks."

I blushed. She was right; they were both so good looking, but they weren't the right type for me. For starters they weren't even human, and for another Jacob had issues. And of course Edward could read minds and that made me feel just a little too uncomfortable.

Jessica saw the blush on my cheeks, "You're blushing. You like them. Or one of them. So do tell."

"Sparks. It's not like that. Jacob and I are just friends and Edward gives me the creeps."

"I can see that," Jessica nodded. "Still they are so cute! Can't you get over the creeps and maybe just maybe get under them?"

"Sparks?!'

I was thoroughly blushing now.

She laughed and started up the car. "Just saying girls just wanna have fun! Get out there and have a little fun."

"That's not me."

"Maybe it should be," she put the car in drive and tore out of the parking lot like a missile. "Life is too short to have your head in books all the time. You need to get out there and have an adventure of your own some time."

I smiled. "I think I'm on an adventure now," I braced myself on the dash board as she veered onto the road. "And you thought my driving was bad. You are a maniac."

"Shut up and put on some music. There's some tapes in the glove box. Find something you like Poindexter. Then tell me how Jacob is doing. Like is he coming back to school soon?"

I was glad that she'd slowed down some as she changed lanes, but I was wishing I could get her to change the subject. She wasn't going to be satisfied until I told her something interesting. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell her anything interesting for all I had were secrets.

I looked at her and saw that she was still looking at me.

"Eyes on the road, please," I had the glove box open, but was afraid to put my hands in until she was focused on her driving.

She laughed, but looked at the road again.

"How's Mike?" I thumbed through the stack of tapes until I found something interesting.

That seemed to work. She was all a chatter about Mike. I smiled to myself as I slipped a tape into the player on the dashboard. Between the music and Jessica's babble, I was free from talking. Now if I could only stop thinking – especially about my strange dinner last night.

I just hoped I could keep Jessica occupied with other things to talk about so that I wouldn't be put on the spot again. Even with all my training, I wasn't good at lying. I was beginning to regret going shopping with Jessica. This was going to be harder than I thought. Jessica liked gossip, and boy did I have gossip! I just couldn't share any of it. Well, I could, but I'd either put people at risk or I'd be committed. I could always tell her I had feelings for Ben, but she'd spread that around faster than a computer virus.

Being a teen with secrets sucked! Being a teen with a secret crush sucked even harder!

Sunday, September 13, 1987 (My Birthday)

Sunday afternoon I walked my dog to the park. The day was beautiful and bright and one of those rare days were the humidity was actually relatively low. At least that was one nice birthday gift. Tiger trotted along beside me stopping to sniff something from time to time. I sniffed too. The day had a crisp autumn-is-approaching scent. I smiled. I could use a break from the humidity. Tiger seemed to be in a docile mood. I hoped he wasn't getting sick, but maybe like me he was enjoying the slight change in the weather.

I walked by Jessica's house and was glad that she didn't come bounding out like she usually did. I wasn't in the mood to dodge her questions on my love life. I'd had enough of that yesterday.

Tiger picked up a scent and ran towards the park with me tumbling behind the best I could. Thankfully, I didn't wipe out because Edward was there sitting at the picnic table. Our picnic table. And eating dirt in front of him would have been embarrassing!

"Hey, Bella?!" Edward wore his adorable half smile. His eyes were smoldering hot and I kid you not had this quality about that them that made me want to forget all about my concerns. I wandered over to him. I couldn't have stopped myself if I tried. It was if he had me on a string and was pulling me slowly toward him.

"Hello, Edward," I bit my lower lip and took a quick breath. I noticed Tiger mellowed as we approached Edward. For that I was thankful, but I also felt a little sad for Tiger. The poor thing was probably wary of Edward. I suppose I should have felt the same, but I could never really feel that way in Edward's presence no matter how much he creeped me out.

I sat down beside him. Tiger lay down on the ground to the left of me with his paws over his nose.

"How are you today, Edward?"

"I'm well. And you?"

I shrugged. "Fine. It's my birthday." I folded my hands over themselves.

He touched me with his cold, hard hand. It felt nice. "Happy Birthday, Bella," he said and his mouth edged into a full, breathtaking smile.

"Umm," I gulped, "Thank you."  
"And do you have plans?"

"Sure. With my dad."

He nodded. "I wish I had known. I would have gotten you something."

I waved it off. "It's no big deal. I shouldn't have said anything in the first place."

"No, it is a big deal," he seemed a little nostalgic. "It has been so long since anyone in my family has had a real birthday."

I looked at him. His eyes were dark and he now wore a slight pout.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. So how old are you anyways?" I lay my hand on the table and leaned in his direction. My other hand was still coiled around Tiger's leash.

He chuckled. "A little bit older than you."

"And how much is that exactly?"

He laughed and squeezed my hand. "It doesn't matter."

I was about to protest, when he interrupted.

"I know. I do have a present for you." He dug around in his pocket until he pulled out a coin. He then placed into my palm. "It's just one of many lucky pennies I've found over the years. This one is a steely from the 1940s. I know it's not much, but-"  
"It's perfect," I assured him. I fingered the penny as it rested in my palm, "I could use some luck. Is it from your time?"

He laughed a little, but shook his head. He rolled my fingers back over the penny and patted my balled up hand, "Let's save that story for another time shall we?"

I shrugged. "Okay. So what did _you_ want to talk about? You're not the type for idle chit-chat." I slipped the lucky penny into my pocket and returned my hand to the table.

His smile faded. My heart ached. It wanted him to smile. To feel his interest.

"I'm sorry," I stammered. I reached out for him, but he stopped me and placed my hand back on the table. He stroked my hand with his. It was like a glazier moving across dry land, but my entire body yearned for the touch.

He looked into my face and then took his hand away. "Sorry. I'm so comfortable with you that I forget the power I have on you."

"Umm," I stammered. I was completely embarrassed.

He smiled at me, but it was a more sympathetic than happy.

"Edward," I sighed, "quit worrying about my feelings or reactions or whatever. I know what you are and know why I have these reactions. It's okay."

His normal crooked smile returned and I felt much better.

I returned the smile, "Now, what were _you_ wanting to talk about?"

He chuckled, but his eyes then looked sad. "I don't want to upset your birthday, but I do have news for you and your father."

I nodded for him to continue.

"We've had word from Alice and Jasper that the Volturi have agreed to leave Jacob alone so long as he didn't have any more violent outbursts and risk exposing them. However, they are now aware of your father's investigations and are monitoring him."  
"What?" I gasped. "Does that mean Chuck is in danger?"

"Not exactly. Your father assured them that he is basing his research around those of us who can live off of other forms of blood. But Bella. I am worried for your father. Remember, vampires are essentially immortal. If they don't bother him in this time frame, they could come for him in the future. I'm not saying that they will, but they could."

I looked at Edward.

"But-"

"The Volturi's main objective is not to be exposed to the human world. So long as your father keeps his research within his organization he should be fine. The same goes for you. But you are both now and will forever be under their surveillance. Just be careful of who you share your secrets with."

I nodded my understanding.

A loud commotion of bantering and laughter alerted us to the presence of a group of boys piling out of a truck in the parking lot. They were pushing and shoving each other into things and then laughing. I only had eyes for Ben though. He was there in the midst of it looking out of place as he tossed a football into the air. He had his long, black hair drawn into a low ponytail and looked as if he belonged more in one of da Vinci's paintings than he did among these half-grown teens of the 1980s.

Tiger unburied his nose and wagged his tails at the new comers. Thankfully, he stayed put and didn't howl.

Ben separated from the pack that was now gathering in the grassy meadow next to the park. He headed straight towards me and Edward. Tiger sat up and thumped his tail on the ground.

"Hey, Ben, if you're not gonna play, at least give us the ball," Gary shouted at him.

"Catch it if you can," Ben threw the ball hard. It hurdled through the hair like a cannon ball. Gary almost caught it, but the ball bounced right back out and Gary rubbed his hands.

"Ouch! Geeze, Beast. Why do you have to throw so hard?!"

Ben ignored Gary and walked over towards me and Edward. Today his eyes were gunmetal black and almost hard as he looked at Edward sitting next to me on the bench, but he had a smile that stretched across his face that could melt marble. "Hey, Bella. Hello, Edward."

"Hello, Ben," Edward's brows furrowed. He looked at Ben with a puzzled expression. I wondered why. But then again Edward was an enigma to me. I was sort of glad my dad was studying vampires – Edward included. Maybe I could learn to tell what Edward was thinking.

"Nice day, huh?" Ben's voices was smooth, but crisp like ice tea on a hot day. When he looked at me, his eyes softened instantly like a warm night. I felt my heart stirring and my blood course through my body. I curled my fingers in an effort to get a grip on my emotions. Edward may not be able to read my thoughts, but he was good at reading my emotions based on my blood.

"It is," Edward's tone suggested caution, but softened as he continued to speak. "Did you know its Bella's birthday today?"

"What?! No. I didn't. Happy Birthday, Bella," Ben's voice went from liquid comfort to the rush of a babbling brook. He bounced on the balls of his feet. "I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. I'm seventeen now. Birthdays and parties are kids' stuff I guess." I twisted Tiger's leash.

"Oh," Ben looked crestfallen as he tugged on his ponytail. "I thought maybe we could do something to celebrate your birthday later today or maybe tomorrow. Like maybe we could get some friends together and go bowling?"

I wanted to kick myself. How could I be so stupid? He was going to ask me out and I was blowing my chances. "No, that would be great," I said a little too quickly, "But it will have to be tomorrow after school. My dad and I already have plans for today."

Ben's whole face lit up. "Great. We can go to the bowling alley and maybe even grab a bite to eat there. Would that work?"

I was too excited that I couldn't trust myself to speak so I nodded.

Tiger howled. Maybe he sensed my nervousness or maybe he was just excited to see Ben too. Or heck maybe it was his seeming mistrust of Edward, or maybe it was just a squirrel. Who knew what was going on with the dog! I ran my hand down his back and he settled down – although his tail wagged like crazy.

Edward stirred in his seat and looked briefly at Tiger.

"Well, it was nice to see both of you again. But I must leave. Alice wants help with a project she's working on," Edward's voice was stilted, but polite. Like always, he stood up faster than what seemed normal but with such grace, the hastiness was overlooked.

"Later dude," Ben replied and stuck his hand out for a high five.

"Yes. . . later," Edward replied and struck Ben's hand with perhaps a little more force than necessary.

It surprised me, but Ben didn't flinch. I couldn't believe it. Having bumped into Edward myself and knowing just how rock solid he was, I thought for sure Ben would have had some sort of reaction. But no, he had none.

Neither Ben nor I spoke as Edward left. Ben sat down on the bench beside me though. I could feel the heat coming off his body and it felt wonderful. In an effort to gain control of my emotions, I twiddled the leash in my hand and either that movement or Edward's absence prompted Tiger to come over and sniff Ben.

Tiger seemed to take a little too much interest in sniffing Ben, but Ben didn't seem to mind. He petted Tiger behind the ears and baby talked to my dog.

"Who's a good dog? Who is?" He rubbed Tiger all over. Tiger's tail wagged on the ground so much I thought he'd give himself bruises.

"He really likes you?" I swept my hair from my face with a flip of my hand. My other hand still coiled the leash. I felt the desire to smile like a schoolgirl, but kept my lips pressed tightly. Still, I could feel the ridiculous giddiness reaching into my eyes. I must have looked absurd. Half frozen stone, half melted jelly. I could hear Jessica's taunts – kiss the boy.

Ben gave Tiger a thorough run down from ears to tail. His manly hands kneaded Tiger's shoulder blades with such gentleness that I yearned to reach over and touch his hand. "And I like animals," he said.

He gave me a smile that was so kissable I had to look away. Blood flooded my ears and thighs simultaneously. I wanted to kiss him and to feel his hands on mine, but I'd never had a relationship with a guy before. I had no idea how to encourage it and somehow I kept botching things up between us. Besides wasn't it too soon? Didn't I need to get to know the guy first?

The ball flew in our direction and Gary sauntered over. "Hey, Bella."

"Hi, Gary. How are you doing?" I tightened the hold on my leash. I could feel Tiger stirring as Gary approached.

"I'm fine, but I can't seem to get Mopey Ben here back to practicing football." Gary had his blue eyes trained on Ben.

Ben's fingers drummed on the table, "I thought I'd talk to Bella."

"You could use the practice." Gary kicked a clump of grass.

"What's the point? I've been kicked off the team." Ben's fingers lay still and he leveled a pained look at Gary.

"What? Why?" I sat back from the table. Tiger turned to look at my sudden movement.

"Because he went all Beast on one of our teammates. But the guy had it coming."

"What happened?"

"So a friend of ours, a girl friend, was dating one of our teammates. They got into a fight and he roughed her up a little. Hit her a couple of times. Ben did not like that."

"Oh my god." My hand went to my chest and my eyes were big as cereal bowls.

"I know right. She wasn't hurt bad or anything, but still the guy's a jerk for hitting her in the first place." Gary kicked at the clump of grass some more. "So Beast found the guy and roughed him up a bit. The boy's parents wanted Beast to apologize, but he refused and said he'd do it again. And that's when the parents went to the coaches and ratted him out. We have a strict no fighting policy. He was kicked off the team because of it."

"That's terrible."

"I know right?!"

"What about the other boy? He was kicked off too though."

"Of course, but still Ben got in trouble too."

Ben had his head hung down. Clearly he was embarrassed. "Look what happened, happened. I shouldn't have done it and now I'm off the team until next year, but whatever. Let's not talk about it."

I looked at Ben. How could someone who looked so much like a medieval angel beat someone up? I was a little nervous.

"How's the other guy?"

Gary laughed. "He's fine. Ben didn't go all crazy on him or anything, but roughed him up enough for him to get the message to not mess with girls like that."

Ben looked at his palms and then away.

Gary tossed the ball back and forth between his hands. "You not playing then?"

"No," Ben looked back at Gary. "Maybe in a little, but I thought I'd talk with Bella for a minute or two. I had some questions for her about class."

Gary kicked Ben's foot, "Don't take too long. We came to the park to play some ball and you are one of the best and fastest linebackers. Kinda need you to challenge us. And you'd make an excellent quarterback if you'd learn to throw a little easier."

"Yeah, alright. In a minute," he said and he gave Gary a hard look as the boy walked away. He then fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out a pack of gum. "Want one?"

The gum was an old brand, or at least for me, so I was curious to try it. "Sure."

He handed me a slice and I tried it. It was weird tasting. It was called Juicy Fruit, but while it was juicy, it wasn't fruity. "Hmm," I smiled.

"Look, I'm sorry about what Gary said. Beating that kid up was wrong. I've never done anything like that before and I won't again. Well, in elementary school I had been in a few pushing matches and I did hit a kid because he bit me. But this was different. It was really stupid of me. I am sorry I did it. I hope that means you won't be scared of me now."

"It's okay," I lied. I was a little scared, but at the same time, I was compelled to forgive him. After all, he had done it for a good cause, but honestly something about him attracted me to him and against my better judgement, I'd have forgiven him no matter what.

"I've got plans next Saturday through Monday. My family is going out of town so I won't be at school on Monday. Can I borrow your notes from class when I get back on Tuesday?"

His smoky eyes burned into my soul. I couldn't deny him anything. But class notes? That was a not a problem.

"Sure. What sort of plans takes you away from school?" I was curious, but also a little sad I wouldn't see him at school.

"My family has a ranch about two hours from here near Louisiana and we have some family matter to attend to." He rubbed Tiger's ears again.

Enviously, I watched the dog. What I wouldn't give for Ben to touch me. Just a little.

"Oh cool, a ranch? Do you have lots of cows?"

"Not exactly a ranch like that. We just have lots of land. My family is really into nature and the outdoors and so are our close family friends. Every now and again we do these retreats. With my folks it is almost like a religion. But don't worry. It's not, and we're not freaks or anything. We just like our camping, hiking, fishing, that sort of thing. And then we do need to go out there and clear the land from time to time and make sure the house and barn are okay. Just maintenance."

"So do you have a lot of land?"

"I guess we kind of do," he admitted. "But mostly it's just woods."

"And wildlife? Do you have lots of wildlife?"

"Some," He ran his hand over the top of his hair, "But speaking of the wildlife, what did you think about Edgar Allen Poe's poem, _The Raven_?"

"Powerful."

"Powerful?"

"Yes, it is beautiful that narrator has such an undying devotion to his lost lover. . . " I wanted to say that I had hoped someday to find such love, but suddenly felt foolish.

"But the raven is a symbol of evil and death."

"Perhaps. But I see it as a symbol of separation that can't be broken by death. I think that the two will be reunited in death and that is perhaps the ultimate romantic theme. Don't you think?"

"Sort of a Romeo and Juliet twist then?"

I nodded.

"I can see that. I really like Edgar Allen Poe. He may have a little morbid side to him, but you are right. He has a strong message."

"I like Poe too."

He looked at me. "You're easy to talk to," he rubbed Tiger. "You don't talk too much or too little and when you do its insightful. You're kinda like Goldie Lockes. Somewhere in the middle or just right. "

I laughed at that reference. I couldn't believe that a high school boy would think, let alone talk, like that, but I was more shocked by the storybook reference. Lately, I felt as if I were living in a storybook myself. This place didn't seem real. It was a whole new world.

The wind shifted and with it my hair gathered into my face. I peeled it from my eyes, but missed a section. Ben grazed my cheek with the side of his finger as he brushed the rest of my hair from my face. My heart stopped. His touch was smooth, but the ghost of his touch left me with an unyielding craving of wanting more.

"You have nice hair," his fingers lingered on my hair.

"Thanks," our hands touched as I took the hair from him.

"It is soft."

"Um. Thanks."

"It looks great down, but I bet it would also look nice in . . . I don't know. . . in a bun."

"I guess," I couldn't figure out where this was going, but I liked how close he was to me.

"So, Bella? Would you like to go to Homecoming with me?" He leaned in closer and spoke just above a whisper. His hand was now pressed into the bench, but was nestled beside my leg. I wanted him to touch me again especially since I could feel the heat of his breath across my neck.

I was caught so off guard that I blurted out, "But I don't dance."

"Oh." Ben pulled back his hand and sat up straight as if he just been scolded, but then his body shifted back towards me, "But you do know that you don't have to dance. You can just go to the dance. So what do you say? Do you want to go to the dance with me?"

I looked into his unguarded eyes that were so deep and honest. In this moment, he was just a boy baring his soul to me so trustingly. A gorgeous boy asking to be liked and accepted by plain old me. I was shocked and didn't know what to say or even think.

He leaned in closer as he waited for my answer. His shoulders were broad and open, but he had a slight lean towards me as if he were hopeful.

I was even more flustered now. I twisted the strap to the leash. My insides twisting with my every breath, but I leaned a little closer to Ben. "I . . . I. . . I . . . would . . . like that, but are you sure you really want to take _me_? I . . . don't like crowds and I don't like dancing. Isn't there someone else you would rather go with?"

"It's more about going out to eat. You like to eat don't you?" He leaned in towards me again and I relished the closeness.

"Hmm. Yes." I coaxed the words out of my now nearly dry mouth. My heart skyrocketed into my throat and I could barely get the words out. I must have sounded stupid. I swallowed hard and gave him a cautious, but yet encouraging smile.

"Great then what's the problem? Already got a date?" His hand skimmed the side of my thigh as it sought a spot on the bench next me.

My heart leapt back into my throat, but I croaked out, "No."

A hearty smile spread across his face, "Then why don't you be my date to Homecoming? We can make it a group event."

I could feel my face flush, but held up my hands in surrender. "Well, okay then. You've talked me into this whole homecoming thing."

"Great!" His muscular shoulders squared off and he was tall and straight once more as if he were craved from marble. In fact, if it weren't from the heat from his hand still nestled beside my leg blindly burning my insides, I would have once more thought of him as the David statue. Now, as I yearned to succumb to his touch, he was very real and very much alive.

Tiger must have felt neglected for he placed his head on the bench and nuzzled his nose into Ben's hand. My leg now had a thin wet trail from the moisture on Tiger's nose.

"Sorry, there buddy," Ben lifted his hand and scratched Tiger behind the ear. "But I suppose I'd better go show those guys how to play football. They seem to think I know a thing or two about it." He laughed, "We're still on for tomorrow, right?"

I nodded.

He stood up and so did Tiger. "And don't worry about Homecoming. It's not that big of deal."

Ben was wrong; it was a big deal, but I didn't correct him. Tiger and I left once Ben returned to the others. They must have teased him something awful for ditching them and coming to talk to me. I could hear them laughing especially as I left. Sigh! Boys! Wouldn't they ever grow up? At least Ben seemed a little more mature than the average High School boy. But it was hard to tell.

For my birthday, the Blacks had me and Chuck over for dinner. The Cullens were there too. All of them. "Eating" with vampires and Nephilims was interesting to say the least. The vampires sipped what I suspected was blood from crystal wine glasses. The Nephilims preferred to eat sweets. I also felt like such an ugly duckling compared to the immortal or nearly immortal beauties gathered all around me. But no one made me feel uncomfortable or out of place. In fact, I was the center of attention and while normally that would have put me on edge, with this crowd, I could at least tolerate it. Maybe I had a little of my mother's social graces in me after all.

The vampires told Chuck about being on the hit list, but he didn't seem too upset by the news. In fact, he seemed distracted by something else. I figured it had something to do with the time traveling not working properly. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.

After we had returned home from our dinner, Chuck asked me into the kitchen. We sat at the table; something Scandinavian my mother had picked out years ago. It had a very sleek, modern design that would have blended nicely with my furnishings back home. I smiled at the table with a bit of nostalgia as I traced the wood grain with my index finger. If I had been back home, my mom would have wanted to have thrown a big party for my birthday, and as usual I would have protested. Of course, she would have gotten her way, but I would insist that the guests be her friends and just one or two of my closest friends.

"Bella, we need to talk," Chuck wrapped his hands around a tiny box wrapped in gold paper and tied with a big red bow. "But first I have a present for you. Happy Birthday."

He pushed the gift towards me.

I looked from him to the gift and back again. "We need to talk? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not all," he held his hands up as he realized just how I was interpreting his words. He then rubbed his chin and lower lip as if he were trying to pull the right words out. He squirmed in his seat and his eyes drifted towards the back door as if he wanted to bolt from this conversation. "It's just that . . . well . . . you know. . . the father-daughter talk."

"Oh," I said. I didn't exactly know what the father-daughter talk would entail, but I had my suspicions. It was my turn to squirm. I tapped the wrapped box in front of me and waited awkwardly for him to continue.

Now that Chuck had nothing left in his own hands, he folded and unfolded them as if he too were waiting for something. Then noticing that I wasn't unwrapping the present, he unclasped his hands and laid them on the table expectantly.

"Go on. Open your present first," he smiled but was now examining his fingernails.

I looked at the present. The bow was as big as the box, but the wrapping was perfect. "You wrapped this?" I raised my eyebrows. I couldn't imagine my father wrapping.

He stopped fidgeting with his hands. "Yes?"

I smiled. "You did a nice job," I pulled at the silky bow and removed the box from the ribbon. I then held it up and shook it. I could feel something slide from side to side and heard a very faint rattle. "What is it?"

Chuck chuckled. "The whole point of presents is to unwrap them and find out."

"You didn't have to give me a gift you know," I said as I peeled back the wrapping.

"What?! Of course I did. I have always given you a present on your birthday and I always will. I may not have been around much, but I am your father and you will forever be my baby – my little girl."

I had the box out of the paper now and set it on the table to look at my dad. "Really? Your little girl? But I'm almost an adult now."

Chuck looked hurt by words. But then I noticed his sorrow went beyond my words. "Bella. You will always be my little girl – now and forever. Yes, even when you are a grown woman, you will still be that sweet little bundle of joy your mother and I first welcomed into the world."

"Is this part of the father-daughter talk?" I pressed my lips together and rubbed the edge of the box. Chuck was getting sentimental, and it was starting to get weird and a little sad.

"The present," he reminded me.

"Right," I opened the lid, and inside I found a gold necklace with a lyre charm dangling from the end. I lifted it from the box and held it up. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it. It's been in our family for generations." He reached out and touched the charm. "I thought it was time for you to have it."

"Thank you, Ch-dad. I love it." I slipped the chain around my neck and fumbled with clasp. It was a weird one and I was having trouble with it.

"Let me help," Chuck stood up and walked around behind me. He then took the chain from me and fastened the necklace into place. He stepped aside to admire the necklace. "It looks good on you."

I touched the charm and smiled at Chuck. "Thanks. So how long has it been in our family?"

Chuck scratched behind his ear and walked back to his seat. "To be honest with you I don't really know. Generations," he replied as he sat down opposite me. "We have a very interesting family."

I laughed. "To say the least."

He smiled politely, but continued. "I don't just mean our immediate family or even your grandparents or so on. I mean your lineage. You come from a long line of interesting . . . people. And on both sides – both your mom's and mine."

I cocked my head and furrowed my brows, "What do you mean, Chuck?"

His eyes narrowed and I corrected myself, "Dad."

My dad reached a hand across the table and placed it on top of my own. "Oh, Bella. You've learned a lot of secrets this week, but I'm afraid that I have another one or two for you."

"Secrets?" I snapped my head back in shock. "About our family?"

"Yes," he gave my hand a squeeze. "And it's time you learned about them."

He looked at the charm on my neck and then towards the back door again. We sat in silence for a while. I knew Chuck wasn't a wordy man and that he was gathering his thoughts. When he turned to face me again, his eyes were as dark as music notes and strangely his eyes seemed to sing to me.

"I'm not sure where to begin, but I think your mother's story might be the easiest to explain. Not the easiest to understand, but the easiest to explain."

"Okay," I smiled encouragingly. He had at last found his words.

He took a deep breath, folded his hands together, put both elbows on the table, and then exhaled. "Your mom's siren," he blurted out.

I cocked my head in confusion. "Like the firetruck?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "Like the myths. The Greek myths-"

"What?!" I slammed my hand down on the table and felt the wrapping paper crinkle under the pressure of my hand.

He released his hands and laid them palm out in an effort to get me to calm down so that he could explain.

"I know. It's crazy, but it's true. Your mom comes from a line of sirens. Well half-sirens. Long ago one of the sirens and a sailor fell in love, married, and had a kid. You and your mother come from that union. Now, you and your mother have some of those same siren characteristic. Beauty, enchanting-"

"Dad?!" I was both flustered and embarrassed. I pulled my hand away. "This is crazy!"

My dad got stern, "Bella. I know it's hard to believe, but you've learned about Nephilims and vampires this week and have come to grips with that. Now you need to come to terms that you aren't exactly human either."

I glared at him. He was right. I'd been through a lot this week and I needed to listen and not judge, but this was really crazy. I traced a finger over the crinkled wrapping paper resting on the table, "So, I'm not exactly human?! What exactly am I? How much of this siren do I have in me?"

"Well, just the one siren. Probably been deluded by three thousand years of human unions, but still some of the powerful magic remains. As to what you are? Who knows? You are Bella. Part siren, part human."

"But that's just mom. You said your family is . . . different?"

Dad took a breath and then expelled it slowly. "That's more complicated."

I nodded. My hands sought the comfort of the box as if they needed something to busy themselves. I opened and closed the lid as I stared at Chuck.

He wrung his hands as he seemed to gather his thoughts again.

I waited patiently.

"I suppose I was drawn to the Grimm Brothers because I wanted to learn more about mythical creatures because . . . I guess you could say I'm one."

He studied my face. Who knew what he saw because honestly my face felt numb. My dad had just told me that I was siren and now he was telling me that he was some sort of mythological creature which of course made me part of that too. I was beginning to sound like a hybrid – a freak.

"My lineage is a little more muddied and is still to be studied. I've read you stories about the swan princess and the swan princes."

I nodded, but my stomach felt queasy. "Oh no. You're not serious? I'm a bird? I'm going to turn into a bird or something?"

At this Chuck laughed.

I dug my nails into the side of the box. "Dad, this isn't funny. I don't want to be a bird."

"Calm down, Bella. It's not like that. Not anymore."

I narrowed my eyes, "Explain."

"I'm trying, but it's hard."

I glared at him and he laughed nervously.

"Yes, you come from a line of shape-shifters who can change from human to swan, but not everyone has had this ability. I don't. But still the . . . magic blood flows through your veins so I guess you could turn into a swan- but don't worry. You'll be able to control it if that's the case."

I stood up from my chair, and Chuck mirrored my actions.

I paced the room. I didn't say anything and neither did my dad.

At last, I stopped and faced him. "I don't know what to do with this information," I admitted, my hands flailed to my side. "I don't know how to deal with this."

My dad's eyes softened and he smiled gently at me. He then walked over and put his arms around me and drew me into a hug. "It's going to be okay, Bella. I promise."

I patted his back, but then pulled away. "Really Ch-dad? It's going to be okay? I'm a mythological creature. How can I . . . interact with people now? I have enough trouble with people as it is."

Chuck placed a hand on my shoulder. "Bella, mythological creatures deal with people all the time and even marry them. You can lead a perfectly normal life with ordinary people. It's just like anything else. Normal people have the same issues. But. . . "

"But what?"

"You will have some certain qualities that you will need to learn to control over this next year or so."

I raised my eyebrows in a question.

He looked away sheepishly, but drew me back into that hug. "Oh, my sweet Bella. How do I put this. . . . As you know sirens are beautiful, alluring creatures with magical voices-"

"Dad," I pulled away and clasped my throat. "My voice?"

He nodded.

"That is why no matter how hard I try, my singing voice still sounds sad?"

"Not exactly. Your voice is enchanting, which is a common siren trait, but the sadness comes from your swan heritage. As the myth goes swans have a sad voice when they die, the legend comes not from true swans, but from the shape-shifting swans."

I still held my neck and trembled. My dad rubbed my shoulder. "Bella. Your voice is powerful, but you have another great power and that is your beauty."

At this I laughed. "Dad, please!"

"Now that you are seventeen. You will start to change and those around you will respond to these changes. You will grow more beautiful and desirable. This is something you will get from both me and your mom. Both sirens and shape-shifting swans are irresistible to humans. But Bella, while sirens are desired by humans they aren't always attracted to humans in return, now shape-shifting swans are different. Swans are a sacred symbol to both Venus and Apollo and as such love and music are deeply intertwined in those inflected with this blood line. We are irresistible to humans and we find them desirable too. We have to love. We just do."

I looked at my dad. None of this made sense.

"I know you are confused. And you're probably wondering about your mom and me. We still love one another. Me. I will always love your mother and deeply. No other woman can replace her. But while your mother loves me, she has some strong residual . . . temptress traits. She enjoys the attraction too much to stay faithful for long."

I looked at my dad sadly. My mother must have hurt him deeply. I then looked away. "I'm sorry, Dad. I've got to get out of here for a while. I'm going for walk."

Tiger galloped into the kitchen upon hearing the word walk, but I ignored him and marched straight for the door.

Chuck didn't say anything, but I could hear him crumble up the wrapping paper and throw it in the trash.

I stepped out into the evening air that still hinted that autumn was advancing. I welcomed the cooler, drier weather. The heat and humidity must have been making me crazy. No, it was making everyone crazy. Like my dad, he had to be crazy. He had lived too long on his own and had been pining away for my mother that he had made all this up about me. That was what I wanted to believe. And it was easy to believe. Boys didn't notice me. Not until I came here and I didn't really notice them either. Again at least not until I came here. No, this was just nonsense. I'd contact my mom once I returned home. But then as I pounded down the driveway, each step I took drove my father's words home to me. He was probably right. I was changing. Boys were paying attention to me and I was noticing them too. But still that didn't mean I was some sort of mutant. Surely, that had to be made up. Surely, my dad was certifiably insane.

I huffed. I knew that wasn't true either. I just didn't know what to do with this information let alone how to process it all. I was a monster, right? Didn't sirens lure men to their deaths? But mom hadn't done that. Or had she? Then I was a bird or something that could become a bird on command. Well, maybe not, but the potential was there. What in the heck would I do if I could turn into a swan? It would be nice to fly and maybe even float on water, but really? The idea of turning into an animal freaked me out. Would I have to eat bugs? What if I stayed a swan forever? My head was starting to hurt. I looked around and noticed that I had only just made it to the curb. It seemed like a year had passed in the short distance.

I stood at the mailbox and tried to decide what direction I would take. I could go right towards the park or I could go left which would eventually lead me to the main street and would take me towards the high school. I choose my usual path towards the park, but avoided the street that would take me past Jessica's house.

Cicadas buzzed somewhere in the distance. Streetlights cast eerie shadows on the sidewalk. I was a hundred years in the past, but the sounds and sights of night were not all that different from my time. I smiled at this little piece of home. Then I looked to the moon. It was the same moon I had back home. Perhaps things weren't so different. Perhaps I wasn't so different either. I was who I was and I couldn't change that. I had to accept that like my new friends, the Cullens and the Blacks, I was a mythological creature. My dad assured me that mythological creatures could intermix and even marry humans, but it was hard to believe especially since that hadn't been the case for my parents. So what did this mean for me? And what about all my future relationships? Then I felt queasy. Was all the changes my dad said that were about to happen to me the result of who I was? Was I attracted to Edward and Ben and they me simply because of some sort of magic beyond any of our control? I wasn't really liking that thought. I wasn't really sure how love and desire worked, but I didn't like the idea of not having control over it. That seemed cruel and unfair.

I looped back towards my house as the thoughts within my head looped around and around. I went inside and went straight to bed. I tossed and turned that night and was exhausted by the time morning came. The sun came in bright and while my mood didn't exactly match the outside world, I did feel a little better.

I pushed off the covers determined to face not only the day, but my new life. It wasn't going to be easy for I had a lot to deal with, but then what teenager didn't I told myself.


	5. Chapter 8 Bella Scores

Chapter 8 – Bella Scores

Bella explores and wrestles over her new found powers

Monday, September 14, 1987.

I'd been in Clear Lake for only a week, but so much had happened in such a short time. My reality had been altered, time travel was in jeopardy, long time family friends had been threatened, and now my dad was under observation by a deadly group of vampires. What a week!

That morning I walked through the halls more like a zombie than the swan I supposedly was. My head was swimming in secrets and I had a really hard time focusing. Without having to even look for them, I could see the Cullens in the mulling around in the cafeteria looking sexy and unapproachable to mere mortals. I wasn't really interested in them for the moment. I needed to get my head straight and concentrate on being just a run of the mill, average girl before anyone got suspicious. It wasn't easy for me though.

Truly, I had a hard time balancing my secret real life with my more mundane school girl persona. Or at least that was how I felt. Still, I was determined to be strong. I shouldered my backpack as if I were shouldering secrets. I made it to my first class, but I wasn't really aware of doing it.

When Eric asked me again about Homecoming before the first period bell, I was caught off guard.

"I'm sorry what?" I asked Eric as I shifted in my seat.

Mike turned to look at us and glared.

"Homecoming is the 25th. Would you like to go?" Eric leaned across his desk.

Mike looked as if smoke would come out of his ears.

Ben took a seat to my right and placed his backpack on top of his desk. "Homecoming?"

Eric sulked when he noticed Ben as if he feared Ben would swoop in and get me to say yes.

"Bella's already made plans with me," Ben wasn't looking at us as he dug through his bag looking for his notebook.

"Oh," I could hear the disappointment in Eric's voice, but it was the fleeting look of disdain that I noticed flash across Mike's face.

Ben didn't notice any of this as he swept his backpack to the floor and opened his notebook to a blank page.

I, on-the-other-hand, was keenly aware of the boys around me for once. They were looking at me and strangely. Then it dawned on me. They _were_ interested in me. Poor things. I knew they couldn't help it any more than I could. My stomach rolled. I felt even more ill at ease than before.

Ben turned and smiled at me. His eyes were deep, dark tunnels that invited me in. I smiled back and relaxed a little. Maybe Jessica was right. Maybe it was okay for a girl to have a little fun and kiss a few guys. Kissing Ben would be nice. I nibbled on the end of my pen as I longed to be kissed by Ben.

Ugh! I then realized just how sappy I was being. Yes, he was irresistible, but this was not right. This attractions wasn't normal, right?! But then did that make it bad? My thoughts started to wander in that direction, but the bell rang like an alarm and I turned my attention towards the chalkboard. Mr. Parker had outlined the day's lesson on the board and I diligently copied the lines into my notebook. We all did. Mr. Parker was a fast paced, efficient teacher and he expected us to work from bell to bell.

The rest of my day went pretty much like first period. Boys seemed to fawn over me and I felt sorry for them. At lunch I sat with Jessica and Angela. But Mike, his friends, Eric and even Ben and Gary joined us. Lunch was stiff and formal as Ben doted on me, but Mike and Eric also took turns vying for my attention. Jessica was pleased that Gary seemed to like her as he made any excuse to touch her. She amped things up between them when she dropped an apple onto the floor. When she leaned over to retrieve the apple, she angled her body so that Gary had full view of her ample cleavage.

"Are you trying to tempt?" Gary's voice was low, but husky.

"You want a bite?" She held the apple out towards him, but her lips were curled up in a devilish smile.

Gary licked his lips and then whispered into her ear. Whatever he said made even Jessica blush.

My afternoon classes weren't exactly enjoyable that day. Other boys in the class were talking to me, and today was the first time I noticed that some of them seemed a little too interested in me. It made me a little self-conscientious. But then again maybe it was all in my head. Maybe I was making it all up now that I knew about my family. And maybe the boys weren't really all that in to me. I was confused. My world seemed to be spinning and I had no control over it.

I was so glad to sit by Edward by the time Physics came. Whenever I was around him, other boys seemed to leave me alone. As I shrugged off my backpack, Edward stood to help. His hands grazed across my shoulder like those of a concert pianist. I smiled at him as we both sat back down. This relationship I could understand. I was attracted to him because of his powers and he was attracted to me because of mine. It made sense and seemed somehow fair and comfortable. Sort of a status quo relationship.

Mike and Eric took their usual seats surrounding me. Mike's butt had barely touched his seat when he had spun around to look at me. He had on a pleasant, but annoyed smile. We nodded at one another, but didn't say anything more. His jaw was set in a way that I thought he wanted to say something, but he couldn't find the words.

Eric politely acknowledge Edward and I, but struck up a conversation with Angela. Setting his bag on top of the table, Eric slipped into his seat and brought up the subject of Sylvia Platt with Angela. The two were off and running analyzing her "Daddy" poem.

I thought about weighing in on the light versus dark images of the poem, but Mike choose that moment to speak to me.

"Are you still interested in boating, Bella? The weather looks nice for the weekend and I have Saturday off." Mike opened his Physics book without even looking at it.

I nodded. "I'd like that. That's the 19th right?"

"Yes. A week before the dance. You won't be canceling on me to go dress shopping will you?" Mike flipped through the book even though he was still looking at me.

"Dress shopping?"

He stopped flipping pages, "For the dance."

"I need a dress?"

Angela turned in her seat to face me. Her Mohawk was shaped into spikes today and was so heavily geled that it didn't even move when she did. "Bella? You're going to homecoming?"

"She's going with the Beast," Mike answered for me.

Edward turned to look at Mike and then me. "You're going to the dance with Ben?"

"Yes," I answered. I stared at Edward as if daring him to question my decision. Then I turned back towards Mike, "And what's this dress business?"

Angela laughed and adjusted her glasses. "Girl's wear cocktail dresses to the dance."

"But I don't have a cocktail dress. Do you have one I can borrow?" I was panicked now.

Angela really laughed now. "Do I look like I wear cocktail dresses?" She moved her hands up and down in front of her. "But don't worry. You might be able to borrow one from Jessica. . . um, on second thought. Maybe you two aren't exactly the same size. Don't worry. We can take you shopping this week."

"Great. Then you should come with me and find a dress too. And come with us. Eric said it was like a group thing right?"

Eric and Angela looked a little caught off guard and were talking at the same time.

"But I don't have a date-"

"Well, yeah, it's often a group thing," Eric stammered and then he turned to Angela with a wry smile. "So Angela. Want to go to the dance with me?"

"Really?"

He nodded.

"Okay then."

Angela turned to face me. "Great! Looks like dress shopping."

"And maybe bathing suit shopping," I blushed as I looked at Mike. "If I'm boating, I might want a new bathing suit too."

Thank God the bell rang because now all the boys gave me an appraising stare and this time I knew it wasn't my imagination.

After class, Edward slipped away like a ghost, and Mike took off for after school practice, but Angela and Eric walked me to my car. Once Eric had left, I invited Angela to the bowling alley with me. I had already gotten a hold of Jessica and she was already waiting for us at my car. Both girls seemed more excited about my meeting Ben after school and going to homecoming with him than I did. They both made plans to take me shopping as soon as possible.

Thankfully, Jessica insisted on driving so I didn't have to try concentrating on too many things. And thankfully, Jessica and Angela were both good at carrying a conversation. I listened to the radio as it played a song called _Under Pressure_ by some group called Queen and David Bowie. I tried to listen to the words. The song suited my day. Under Pressure.

Jessica parked close to the front of the building, and from the car I could see that Ben was already at the bowling alley. He leaned against the brick building tall and powerful like a suit of armor. His hair was loose and blowing in the wind. He was wearing jeans and a skin tight gray t-shirt that molded to his muscles. In that moment, he looked like a cover to a Romance novel. I smiled a little because we were matching. We both had on jeans and gray shirts, but he looked so much better than I did.

"Hey girls," Ben stepped away from the wall and sauntered towards us. "My friends are inside getting us a lane. I've already paid for everything, so come inside and pick out your shoes."

Ben muscled his way closer to us and with his every movement, my heart skipped a beat. I couldn't move and must have looked like a complete idiot as I tried not to stare at the perfection that was Ben.

Angela and Jessica giggled and nudged one another as they pointed at me.

I knew full well they were getting their jollies out of my tormented discomfort. I could have punched them both, but seriously I was still so captivated by Ben's movements that I could barely move let alone walk straight or try to hit someone.

"Is Gary here?" Jessica asked. She swiped the sunglasses off her face and stuffed them inside her purse as we approached the glass doors.

"Of course," Ben answered her, but he kept his eyes trained on me as if he were a mountain lion and I was his prey. I enjoyed the hunger in his eyes. It was delicious! But then I realized that this infatuation wasn't real or at least not an emotional connection. This was just some magical attraction that neither of us had control over. I didn't know what made us like each other so much, but it made me a little sad . . . and a little excited.

What?! He was so yummy and the feelings stirred up inside me felt so dang good that I didn't want them to end. Ever. This compulsion I had was consuming me and I had little control over it and I wasn't sure I wanted control and I certainly didn't want to think about it. I just wanted to feel it.

In the end, I decided that whatever it was, it felt nice. Maybe I should enjoy it. Maybe love was like that. Uncontrollable. A force so strong that it denies nature. But then again such passionate love affairs were often tragic – just take the classic Romeo and Juliet relationship. That was some pretty intense love, but it didn't work out so well in the end.

"What are you thinking about so hard, Bella?" Angela was staring at me. She rolled up the sleeves of her red and black plaid t-shirt that she used more as a jacket than a shirt.

"Sorry. Long day," I tried to play it off, but Angela still probed me with her eyes. She was an astute one. I would have to be cautious around her.

"Are you ready for your birthday celebration?" Ben pulled open the door. I could see the muscles in his arms bulging under the fabric of his shirt. I wanted to rub my hands over the hard surface and believe me it took a lot of will power on my part not to.

"It's your birthday?" Jessica asked. She was dabbing on a fresh coat of lipstick.

"Yesterday."

"Happy Birthday," Angela and Jessica chimed together. Angela patted my back and gave me a warm smile, but Jessica was still fussing over her make-up.

"Thanks," I eyed Jessica's short pink mini skirt and Angela's ripped up jeans. They both looked so 80s. I rubbed my hands over my plain old jeans and hopped I looked presentable enough.

We walked in and immediately I could smell stale popcorn and I could hear the clinking of quarters as three preteen boys lobbed quarters into the nearby video games. I could hear grunting as one of the boys played a vicious round of Mortal Combat.

Neon and fluorescent lights sprawled across the wall in long curving lines and hummed like the distant drone of helicopter blades. Rowdy laughter and what sounded like a car crash made me look to the far left. I could easily spot where we were sitting because a group of boys were batting at a balloon bouquet on one of the tables in the far left corner.

"Ben?!"

He shrugged. "Don't make a big deal out of it. It's just some balloons."

He was standing so close to me that if he had pores on his face, I could have counted them. I was tempted to step closer, but didn't. I was curious as to why I didn't see any pores, but maybe I was just blinded by his beauty and was overlooking any mundane imperfections. But honestly, I just wanted to be closer. His warmth was so inviting. I could seriously melt into his arms and all over his body.

 _In the Heat of the Moment_ played in the background. I heard it so many times on the radio over the past two days that it was becoming one of my favorites, and now standing this close to Ben, I really liked the song.

"Thanks for the balloons," I pushed him away and walked up to the counter. I coiled my fingers tight and into my hair in an effort to stop myself from shaking. I wanted to be close to him, but I had to keep him at bay or I would seriously do something stupid.

The four of us exchanged our shoes for bowling shoes and joined Gary and the other boys. Jessica found a seat next to Gary. Gary's eyes were all over Jessica as she slide her miniskirt clad rear onto the hard plastic seat. But all the other boys watched her as she slipped on her bowling shoes. She widened her legs just enough to tease the boys. I could hear the boys whispering, but couldn't make out the words. Jessica, however, ignored the boys, but judging from her ear to ear smile, I could tell she was loving the attention, "Aren't you supposed to be at football practice, Gary?"

"Think of it as a little boycott," Gary smirked and he looked at Ben.

Jessica furrowed her brows, "What boycott?" She laced up her shoes. By now the other boys had lost interest in her and were snacking off a plate of nachos from the center of the brown Formica table.

"Beast has a bit of temper and went all ape on one of our teammates because he beat up on girl. He got suspended from the team for it and that's so unfair." Gary was still watching Ben.

"Really?" Jessica's eyes got as big as saucers. She looked at Ben too.

Ben's friends all came to Ben's defensive and all stated their opinions on the subject. Tom, one of Ben's friends from Godfathers, got a little too animated and knocked over a pitcher of soda. Randy and Tom pushed one another around some, but in the end, they both made an effort to clean it up.

"Ben's been known to have a hothead in the past, but he's really matured," a thin, small boy with thick curly hair and unearthly blue eyes named Robert replied. He kept his head slightly lowered as he looked at us. I couldn't tell if he was shy or if he was just busy emptying a napkin holder and handing over the contents to Randy. "He's really gotten a hold of his temper."

"And he's never gotten angry when it wasn't justified," Gary added. He leaned back into his plastic chair and wrapped his arm around Jessica's shoulder. He didn't seem to care about the mess.

Jessica leaned back into her seat too and smiled, but she looked over at Ben. "I wouldn't want him mad at me though."

"He's pretty solid," Gary agreed. He gave Jessica's shoulder a squeeze. "But he's kinda a softie."

Ben's long hair divided us, but I could see his shoulders stiffen as soon as they talked about his temper. But he didn't say anything.

I felt kind of bad for the guy.

"So, Ben. I hear that you are taking Bella to the dance," Angela sat down beside him and tactfully changed topics. She wiggled her foot into the bowling shoes. "Eric and I are going too. Bella said we could join you guys and make it a group thing if that's okay."

Ben pushed his hair aside and gave me a sideways glance. "Of course," he smirked and then looked at Gary. "Hey, Gary. Bella and I are going to Homecoming together. Eric and Angela are coming with us. You want to come too? Weren't you planning on asking someone?"

Gary shot Ben a nasty look, but then smiled. "Yeah, I was. Hey, Sparks. You. Me. The dance. Want to do it?" He gestured his free hand back and forth like a metronome.

"Are you asking me to Homecoming?" Jessica turned in her seat to face him.

"Trying to."

Jessica laughed. "And we'd be going with these guys," she pointed in my direction.

"Only if you want to," he slipped his hand on her knee.

I smiled. The two of them seemed like a perfect match. They were both confident and fearless.

"I guess it wouldn't kill me," she teased. Her leg opened a little at his touch and pressed into his hand.

He pulled his hand away in mock disappointment, but she stopped him and pulled his arm back. "I'm only kidding. Of course I'd like to go to the dance with you."

She had pulled Gary so close that his shoulder was now pressed up against her chest and the last of her words were spoken against his ear.

Gary smiled and his hand returned to her knee again, but this time was just a little higher up.

Jessica leaned forward so that her breast rested on his arm and she arched her back just enough so that Gary could have good view of what was under her low cut blouse.

I turned to look away. She made dating look so easy.

The sound of pins clattering made me realize that the others had started playing. Ben added our names to the list of players and we waited for our turn.

Jessica and Gary were now holding hands. I fought the urge not to roll my eyes. Jessica was sitting sideways in her chair with her legs draped over his lap. Gary's hand was now nestled between her legs.

Ben was sitting right next to me, but he didn't make a move on me. Maybe I needed to flirt with him the way Jessica did with Gary, but right now I was confused on what to do. I was inexperienced in dating as it was, but now I wasn't sure how I felt about dating. I still had to process what to make of my so-called powers. Ugh, really powers?! Love and attraction were a power?

"You're up," Ben patted me on the back.

The thrilling sensation of his touch sent a jolt right up my spine. I wanted to spin and face him and press my own chest against his the way Jessica so confidently did. Instead, my entire body froze like ice that wanted nothing more than to be brought to boiling.

"Bella?" Ben's hand gently patted my back again.

"What?"

"You're up," he repeated as he removed his hand from my back, "It's your turn."

"Oh," I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat. I stood up and walked over to the ball rack. I examined the balls. "Which one do I take?"

"Have you never been bowling before," Angela came back down the lane after taking her shot.

"No."

Everyone stopped talking and looked at me.

"Really?" Jessica said. She withdrew her legs from Gary's lap and set them on the floor.

"Really. I've never bowled."

"We've got a virgin over here," she shouted.

I blushed like I'd never blushed before.

Jessica laughed, but Angela and Ben came over and helped me pick out a ball and explained the art of bowling to me.

Angela gave me the lightest ball available – a ten pounder. "It's better to have a lighter weight ball when you are just learning."

I took the ball. It was heavy. "This is light?"

Angela chuckled. "Yes. Believe it or not it is."

The bowling ball was heavy. So I held it with both hands as I walked up to the lane. I wasn't sure about holding it up with only three fingers, but I did as instructed and placed my thumb and two fingers into the three different holes. I held on with both hands and placed the ball against my chest.

Even though I had my back to others, I could tell they were all watching me. I gulped. I didn't like being the center of attention. I tried to tune that out though. I gripped into the ball as if I could somehow release all my tension into it. I took five steps and slipped a little on the well-oiled wooden floor. Clumsily, I swung the ball backwards at first and then forwards like some bizarre pendulum. My elbow locked at the last second, but somehow I had managed to release the ball.

The ball landed with a loud thud and then raced down the lane at first in straight line, but then as it lost momentum it started to wobble and worked its way into the gutter.

"Gutter ball," the boys cheered. Some even clapped.

"That's good?" I looked behind me at Ben.

"Not exactly, but you did just fine. Here comes your ball back again. You have another chance. Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it."

He picked up my ball from the ball returner and set it in my hand. I was extremely aware of how close we were standing with only our hands and the ball separating us. My hand trembled.

"Ball's heavy," Ben said as he steadied my hand with his.

"Yes," I agreed, but in truth my hand wasn't trembling because I wasn't strong enough to hold it. My hand was trembling because I was so close to him, and now as his hands supported my own, I felt so weak.

I inched closer to him as I nestled my hands into the contour of his muscular hands. His hot breath brushed past my cheek chilling me to the bone.

Gary could be heard in the back ground snorting Dr. Pepper out his nose. "He just said heavy balls."

Ben smiled in apology, but he didn't move inch. "Please forgive my juvenile friend," he raised his voice, but it was playful in tone. "He's kind of a moron."

Gary hooted it up. "Come on Bella. Why don't you play with Ben's balls?"

"What is wrong with you, Gary," Ben shot Gary an angry look that could have spoiled milk. He took a step in Gary's direction, but two other boys had Gary in headlock and were nooging him on the head. They were all laughing uncontrollably.

"Sorry," Ben mumbled and he let go of my hands and stepped away.

With Ben moving further away from me, I was able to concentrate a little more. My throat was still constricted and I yearned to press my body into his, but the further he stepped back, the more those sensations eased up and I was able to concentrate at the task at hand.

I lined up the ball and went through the same motions as earlier. The ball rolled across the slick floor and actually hit pretty solidly just to the left of the center pin. I took out four pins.

"Good," Ben assured me as he led me back to our seats.

"But I only got four pins."

"Your form was good. You just need more force."

Gary was cracking up again. "Ben's right. You have good form, but if you need more force. You come see me. I've got all the force you need."

"Oh. My. Gawd!" Jessica slapped him on the knee. "You are terrible. I can't believe you just said that."

Gary laughed. "Don't worry, Sparks. I'm only messing with Ben." Gary's hand slipped a little higher up Jessica's leg, but she didn't seem to mind.

I looked over at Ben and he didn't look so amused.

"And you thought homecoming was going to be fun," I chuckled.

Ben looked over at me and then smiled. "Did I? Well, maybe I should have said entertaining."

I laughed. "That I can agree with!"

The rest of the afternoon went on in much the similar fashion. The boys joked with one another, but Gary left Ben and me alone. Gary's full attention was now on Jessica and just how far up her skirt he could get his hands.

Angela made a little head way with Ben's friend, Robert. Seems like I was right. He was shy and even a great conversationalist like Angela had trouble. She was a good sport though and kept trying almost up until the end.

I'm not sure who really won the game since I was too busy thinking about other things, but I was well aware of the fact that I didn't. Gary had a great time teasing me that I came in last and made several vulgar jokes that he could show me a thing or two. Both Jessica and Ben punched him once or twice on the arm, but all he did was laugh.

As we were leaving, Ben pulled me aside.

His hand was around my arm and all I could think was please just wrap me in those big, strong arms. I tried to not to swoon since he already thought I was unbalanced, but believe me that was a herculean feat.

"I haven't had the chance to get you a present yet, but I'd like to give you a gift on homecoming if that's okay."

"Again. That's not necessary."

"I know, but I want to."

"Sure."

"Great!" His eyes were like obsidian again. Sparkling. Beautiful. Mysterious. And somehow dangerous.

He looked over my shoulder and I knew exactly what he saw for I could hear his friends making kissing noises.

"See you tomorrow," he said as he took a step back.

As much as I wanted him to kiss me, I was grateful he didn't try to do so at that moment. I wanted my first kiss to be special. Well maybe not special, but I didn't want to do it in front of an adolescent audience.

I went to bed that night thinking about how much I wanted a kiss from Ben. I did. I wanted Ben to kiss me and I was okay with that. It didn't matter what I was. I was still me. And it didn't matter if I had some sort of magical love powers. I wanted to kiss Ben. Why should I deny myself that? Why should I shun love when love was clearly part of who I was? Yes, I had reached a new chapter in my life. Many things were going on around me and I had a lot to think about. But love was something I shouldn't overthink. I should just go with it. But then I thought was it fair to Ben? He was only human after all. He would probably be repulsed if he knew what I was.


	6. Chapter 9 Edward Knows

Chapter 9 – Edward Knows

So, thanks again to Stephanie Meyer and her cast of beloved characters and her wonderful plots!

I have enjoyed tinkering with her world and blending it with my own. As promised, I believe I stayed fairly true to her original, but hopefully was successful in weaving in a few other twists.

My futuristic Bella Swan isn't even human and although she is attracted to Jacob and Edward, there's a third more animalistic, raw lover that simply makes her toes curl. But has she made the right decision? Is Ben really the one who is right for her? Or is there someone else who is better suited for her?

Tuesday, September 15, 1987

I wrote to my mom first thing in the morning and let her know that Chuck and I had had "the talk." I chastised her briefly for not letting me know that I was a freak and then I asked her if she had anything else to add, but she didn't respond. Knowing my mother, she was probably still asleep. I didn't have time to wait for an answer since it was getting close to school time, plus I really wanted to get to school early today. I was eager to start my day and to see Ben again. I wasn't sure what exactly was getting into me, but I decided why fight it. I needed to learn to accept it and use my gift cautiously. Well, maybe I wasn't all that different from any other teenage girl after all. Maybe I was just a late bloomer. I'd watch all my other friends go boy crazy in junior high. Maybe I was going boy crazy now. Ugh. I hoped not. I prided myself not necessarily on being strong, but at least independent. I didn't need a man to complete me. At least that's what I used to think. This morning, I did feel a little uncomplete without Ben. Together we were a puzzle, and one I certainly wanted to fit together.

It had been a dewy morning and my wet shoes squeaked against the school's bland tile. I marched past the office and acted as if I were heading towards tutorials. I was halfway down the hall before the first bell even rang. Very few students were in the hall at this time. Most were still gathered in the commons. Ben wasn't anywhere to be found in the cafeteria, so I hoped to make it to class early in hopes that he'd come in early too.

I couldn't wait for first period. I couldn't wait to see Ben again. I was walking faster than I should have through the halls and tripped over my own two feet. That's how Ben found me. Sprawled across the tile like a squashed bug. Thank goodness I had on jeans and not one of Jessica's frilly little skirts otherwise I might have been showing off more than I would have liked.

"Are you okay," he knelt beside me.

His powerful legs were above the height of my head now. And somehow even in jean clad pants those legs looked to be made of marble and sculpted by the gods. I was keenly aware of our close proximity and of just how stupid I must look. I tried not to gape at his godly beauty.

"Yes," I mumbled although my ego was a little bruised.

"Are you sure? That looked pretty bad," Ben placed his hand under my elbow and helped me up. His hands burned into my skin. I ached for him.

"I'm fine," I assured him, and with his help, I got back up and slung my bag onto my shoulder.

"So why were you rushing?" He still offered his hand for assistance and I took it not fully realizing that I still was in need of his support.

"I didn't want to be late for class." I had trouble forming the words because I could feel his touch straight to my soul.

Ben looked at his watch and then at me. "You have plenty of time."

I then decided to throw caution to the wind and be honest with him. "I was wanting to see you."

Ben's eyes melted and the corners of his lips turned up. "Really?"

I blushed. "Don't make a big deal of it."

"You seem to like that phrase."

"Because you seem to like to make things a big deal. And don't say that is a big deal because it's not," then I lowered my voice. "I guess it's obvious to everyone that I like you."

He chuckled. "And I like you too."

"Okay, that's settled."

"Yes, it is." He took my hand into his and with it my very pulse.

"What are doing?" My heart thumped in my chest like a flow blown orchestra.

"Isn't obvious? I'm holding your hand."

"I see that, but why?"

He leaned in close and his breathe washed over me. "Because I like you."

I blushed, but I didn't say anything. Neither of us did, but we walked to class just like that. With our hands clasped together. I leaned into his strong shoulder for extra support as I let longing wash over my body like a much needed shower. He smelled slightly of musky cologne and I marveled in the knowledge as I pressed closer that I too would smell like him for the rest of the morning.

Mike smiled when he saw me walk into the room, but the smile quickly faded as he noticed that I was holding hands with Ben.

Ben walked me to my seat and then took the one behind me.

Mike and Eric exchanged looks and then pouted.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed to see them there too. I had hoped not too many people would have showed up early. I kind of wanted to spend some alone time with Ben. The boys conversed as I dug my supplies out of my backpack.

As I piled my notebook and textbooks unto my desk, Ben tapped my shoulder.

"Do you have any college ruled paper? I only have wide ruled."

I could hear the smile in his voice and I liked it just a little too much.

"Sure," I dug through a folder and extracted a several pieces. My hand was shaking a little as I turned in my seat to face him. As I handed him the papers, our hands met. His warm hand draped mine like a mink coat on winter's day. It was a perfect fit. I leaned in closer so that my hair now dangled across the front of his desk.

"Thanks," he said as he ran his fingers across the spill of hair on his desk.

Again his touch sent shock waves through my body. Even if he was only touching my hair.

"You know I am not going to be able to do any work with all this hair across my desk," he said in a voice that suggested he was teasing me, especially since he was now scooping my long lockes into one hand and running his fingers from his free hand through the ends of my hair.

My body shivered slightly from the nearness of his warmth.

"Sorry," I said as I disentangled myself from his grip, but I let my hair fall further onto his desk and gave him an impish smile.

He tilted his head and smirked at me, but his eyes were full of smiles. "Bella?!"

"Yes?!" I know leaned across his desk and propped my elbows onto his desk and did my best to impersonate Jessica as I pressed my chest together with my forearms. I arched my back and looked pointedly at Ben. I probably looked like a fool. Jessica made this look so easy, but flirting this overtly was unnatural to me.

Ben's eyes briefly raked across my body, but steadied upon my eyes again. "We aren't going to get much work done, are we?" He whispered. He leaned closer and his hair grazed against mine. I could smell the scent of his shampoo I was that close to him now.

Mike cleared his throat and asked, "Bella? Can you spare any more of that paper? I'm out too."

My smile sagged a little as I slowly turned around to face Mike. "I still have more paper. No problem."

I opened my folder and thumbed through the stack of loose leaf paper in the side pocket. The paper beneath my fingers somehow reminded me of Ben's touch and I suddenly craved his touch even more. Sighing, I extracted the papers and handed them to Mike.

"Thanks," Mike replied. His smile was broader than usual. I suspect that he was happy to interrupt whatever was happening between me and Ben.

At that moment, Mr. Parks entered the room with a steaming hot cup of coffee. I watched the swirls of steam rise into the air as he sat down at his desk. I wasn't a coffee drinker myself, but I loved the smell of it. I found myself drawn to the scent that morning as if I really needed any more stimulation. Shoes squeaked across the floor as several students approached him with questions. That high pitched noise was enough to snap me out of my daze. I watched the other students briefly, however I stayed glued in my seat. After all, I wasn't really here for tutorials. I was trying to spend time with Ben.

Tutorials flew by as Ben and I made up excuses to touch one another. Our brief flirting ended as the room filled up and the bell to start class rang.

I had no idea what the day's lesson was because I was too distracted. I didn't like Ben sitting behind me. I was all too aware of his presence, but I couldn't see him and it made me feel self-conscientious.

After class, Ben walked me to my next class and promised to sit by me at lunch.

"That would be great!" I said with way too much enthusiasm, but hey, I couldn't help it. Smiling, I slipped into my classroom and thought how I couldn't wait until lunch.

The rest of my morning was slow and torturous. I tried to focus on my classes, but it was honestly difficult. I couldn't stop thinking of Ben and all I wanted was to be with him again. Stupid. I know. Childish. I get it. Still. The heart wants what the heart wants.

When the bell rang for lunch, I bolted – not as fast as Edward, but fast.

Ben and I entered the commons at the same time, but from opposite ends. Neither the chattering crowds nor the distinct odor of fish sticks could dissuade my attention. I could feel his eyes burning into mine though as we were drawn towards one another. We met halfway next to an empty lunch table.

"Hey," he said as he pulled out a flimsy plastic navy blue chair for me.

"Thanks," I said dropping into it with about as much grace as I could muster. The chair wobbled a bit on its uneven legs. My shoulders grazed his arm and the closeness of him sent shock waves across my entire body. I felt both so heavy and so light as my insides tingled with anticipation and yearning.

"How was your morning?" He took a seat next to me and ran a hand through his hair so he could better see me. His eyes were a brilliant blaze and baffled me for a moment.

I cleared my throat, but the words still came out on the hoarse side, "Boring. And yours?"

He leaned in close and took my hand into his. "The same. I really missed you."

I blushed. My pulse quickened and I froze like giant bowl of hormone sundae.

"I probably failed a quiz in second period because I couldn't stop thinking of you," Ben said as he pushed his hand into his sack lunch and pulled out a roast beef sandwich wrapped tightly in cling wrap. His eyes never parted from mine as his lips pulled at the corners into a merry little smile.

"I'm sorry," I stammered.

He winked at me. "Don't be. You are worth it."

Spluttering like a five year old at her first swim lesson, I said, "Oh, I don't know about that."

"Hey, y'all," Jessica bumped into me with a swing of her hips. "Whatcha up to?"

"Just lunch," I thumped my brown paper bag in effort to show her that we were eating.

"What did you bring for lunch today?" She swiped up the bag and riffled through it. "Really PB and J? What are you five?"

She tossed me the bag back.

Angela showed up next. With a cheerful greeting, she pulled up a seat and flung her purse onto the table.

"You're not eating lunch today?" Jessica noticed that Angela didn't have any food.

For the first time ever, Angela looked a little embarrassed. "I forgot my lunch at home, but I'm not all that hungry."

"You can have half my sandwich," I offered and pushed my bag towards her.

She looked cautious a moment and then accepted.

I wanted to sit with Ben by myself, but gave up on that idea as more of our friends gathered around us including Mike and Eric. I especially didn't enjoy sitting with those two because they pouted every time Ben touched me which thankfully was a lot!

By the time lunch was over. I was weak. Seriously, I couldn't get enough of Ben's touch, but yet every time he touched me it was like he took more and more of my strengthen with him. And yet I wanted nothing more than to be touched by him. I think my problem was that I wanted to be touched all over by Ben and I wanted the touch to be as strong as his hands.

I tried to keep it together though. Mike and Eric were still sulking over the idea of Ben and I and I didn't want to make it worse for them. As lunch drew to a close and Ben and I had to part ways, he trailed his hand down the length of my arm and he smiled at me with inviting lips.

Eric said something to Mike who nodded as he glared daggers at Ben. Clearly, they weren't getting past this yet.

I felt bad for those two, but there wasn't much I could do about it. They were just going to have to get over it. They were driving me a little nuts though. All day long they seemed woeful – even in Physic class – especially when Edward paid me any attention.

As usual, Edward sat by me in Physics. He leaned over my desk, right onto my open book, and whispered. "I hear that you and Ben are sort of an item."

"You 'heard' this? How exactly did you 'hear' that?"

Edward laughed and reached for my hand that was still tugging the book out from under him. I felt a spark pass through my skin.

"Do you plan to shock me every time we touch?" He trailed his finger across a vein on the back of my hand that lead down to my wrist.

I shivered. "Me? I thought it was you."

"I don't think so. It's never happened to me before. You are interesting Bella."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Eric and Mike were pouting. Scowling and pouting. Edward laughed even harder. "You are really breaking some hearts around this school," he lowered his voice even more.

"I don't mean to."

"I know, and I know how you feel." He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and then let go. "Are you free this afternoon?"

"Sure why? Does Jacob need anything?"

"Jacob's fine, but I do have some information that I think you should know. Can you meet me at the park around 4?"

"Yes, of course. Any hints on what you want to talk about?"

"None," his tone was stiff. It was a bit scary. I shivered this time from fright.

"Sorry. Did I scare you?"

"No," I lied, and once again I was thankful he couldn't read my thoughts. He looked, smelled, and talked like an angel, but yet he wasn't. And despite of all his beauty, he was a dangerous creature. I wasn't worried though. Edward and I had an understanding. We were attracted to one another, but we wouldn't cross that line. Besides we had something even deeper than attraction. We had friendship.

The school day drew to a close and at four o'clock, I found myself at the park. I didn't bring the dog this time. Tiger wasn't at all happy about it, but since I was meeting Edward, I thought Tiger might rather just stay home.

I arrived at the park before Edward and walked over to the blue metal fence that surrounded the neighborhood pool. It was faded and peeling. I could see a thin layer of rust around the frayed edges.

"Do you like swimming?"

I turned and saw that Edward was approaching with the ease of feline stalking its prey.

"I do. Do you?"

"It's alright, but I'd go swimming just to see you in bathing suit." He was standing so close to me that I could feel his breath and it smelled like honey.

"Edward!"

"You may be going to homecoming with Ben, but Mike's the lucky one. He gets to see you in a bathing suit this weekend." Edward continued. His body leaned into mine. It was solid like a wall.

"Okay, now you are just trying to embarrass me."

"Sorry."

He didn't look sorry.

"So is this why you asked me to the park. To harass me about boys?"

"Umm. . ." he stuttered and it was nice to see that the calm and cool Edward could lose some of his composure. He took a step back.

"Oh my gosh! It is, isn't it." I punched him on the arm, but regretted my actions since his skin was like rock. I waved the pain off.

Edward took my injured hand into his and stroked it. His cold hand actually felt good on my battered hand. "Calm down, woman. I've got lots to tell you."

I raised my eyebrow, "Woman?" I took my hand away.

"Are you going to question everything I say or do you want me to talk?"

I folded my arms and glared at him.

"Sorry."

"Apology accepted. Now tell me why you wanted to talk." My feet were firmly planted on the ground, my arms were still crossed, but as Edward smiled at me with his impish grin, the world seemed to flatter. It didn't help my condition that he smelled like chocolate now.

"Walk?" He stepped away from the fence and gestured toward a sidewalk that lead around the nearby tennis courts. I could hear the squeaking of tennis shoes and the pong of the ball off the racket and as a pair of middle aged woman enjoyed an aggressive match. They were loud as they grunted and exchanged friendly taunts.

"Okay. Talk." I stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk and Edward steadied me.

"You fall a lot."

"Not what I'm wanting to hear," I reminded him.

He took my hand in his and led me toward the courts, but towards the ones away from the women. "The Volturi are sending someone to investigate your dad."

I stopped and let go of his hand. "A vampire is coming here?"

He nodded, "but the Volturi have ensured us that the vampire will not hunt here."

"But you are still worried?"

He nodded.

"About what?"

"About what the vampire finds out and what the Volturi will decide to do about it. Remember the only real law vampires have is to keep our existence secret. Your dad knows too much and he is human."

I laughed. I couldn't help myself.

"What?"

I couldn't face Edward, so I continued down the path towards the courts. Without looking at him, I gestured for him to follow.

"Oh, Edward," I said when he neared. "We are so much alike."

"What do you mean?"

"What I'm going to say is really embarrassing so please don't laugh at me." I didn't stop walking, but I slowed down. I fidgeted with the edge of my t-shirt. "Promise?"

"Promise," Edward sighed.

"I'm not human."

"What do you mean you are not human? I can smell the human in your blood."

"I am only part human."

He took my hand and spun me around so that we were facing one another.

I still fiddled with my shirt some more. "My mom is part siren. And my dad is a shape-shifter."

"A. . . siren?" Edward rubbed circles on his thumb with his index finger. "Did I hear you correctly?"

"You did," I nodded and let my shirt go. I stared into his face. "Like you, I have the power to . . . allure people to me."

"Interesting," Edward's hand went to his chin which he now stroked. "That would explain a lot."

I titled my head and gave him a questioning look.

"The fact that I can't read your thoughts. The boys. And maybe Alice's darkness when she looking at you."

I nodded. "Yes. Right. The boys."

Edward reached out and stroked my cheek. "Whatever you are Bella, you are a lovely creature, and I am glad that I know you even if your blood makes me want to kill and devour you."

"Still?"

"Probably always."

I sighed. "We are quite a pair aren't we?"

"Like Romeo and Juliet?"

"I was thinking Paris and Juliet."

He took his hand from my face and placed it over his heart as if wounded. "Ouch! That hurts!"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Bella, there is something else you should know." His hand was still plastered to his chest as if he were pleading an oath.

"Since I've promised myself not to kill you. I've I also promised myself to protect you."

"Okay. You're talking about like from the Volturi?"

"Yes of course. But I mean from anything."

I smiled and patted his arm. "That's nice, but not necessary."

He sighed. "Bella, there is something else I need to tell you. . . . Ben isn't what he seems."

"What do you mean?"

"Lately, I've had trouble hearing Ben's thoughts and those of a few of his friends."

"But you've said that has never happened before."

"That's right."

"Maybe it's you and you are losing your powers?"

"I don't think so and neither does Carlisle. But there is something else. Alice can no longer see their future. Just like she can't see Nephilims' futures. We think Ben and his friends aren't human. We don't know what they are, but they aren't human. You should be cautious."

"What about me? Aren't I the dangerous one here? I lure men to their deaths?"

"And I'm sure they'd willingly go."

"I'm serious."

"Are you really? Are you really being serious? Would you lure men to their deaths?"

I hung my head. "No. Of course not."

Edward chuckled and I could just imagine him with a smirk. One that I'd either like to slap or kiss off his face. "You are like me, Bella. You will use your powers for good. I'm not worried about you, Bella Swan. And I'm not saying that I am worried about Ben either, but I assure you, he isn't human. Just be cautious until you figure out what he is."

We continued our walk.

"Any ideas on what he is?"

Edward pressed his lips together and thought. "None," he said at last. "But when you find out, would you mind letting me know? As a friend. If I'm in danger or my family is, I'd like to know."

I looked at Edward. "You're not serious. You don't think you are in danger?"

"I'm a vampire. I'm always in danger."

"But you are good."

"Doesn't matter."

"It does too."

He shrugged.

"And what makes you think Ben would tell me anything? Or that I'd ask?"

"Just a hunch," he smirked.

I glared at him. "You really are a beast!"

"I think you have a thing for beasts!"

"Oh, you are terrible," I pushed him, but he didn't budge an inch. He was steady as a rock and just as hard.

"And you're a beauty," he fingered a strand of my hair. "A beautiful swan."

I gulped. I hadn't told him about being a shape-shifting swan. We'd been so focused on the siren thing. "Edward," I cleared my throat and waved my finger like a club. "About that. I said my dad was a shape-shifter-"

"Oh right."

My face suddenly felt hot and itchy. I'm sure that he was aware of the blood rushing into my cheeks as I reddened. I scratched my forehead and then my chin. "My dad comes from a line of shape-shifting swans who also have the ability to make people fall in love with them."

Edwards's cheeks rippled into a smile. "You change into a swan? Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" He seemed amused.

"I just learned about this and the siren thing. Chuck just told me about it on Sunday. As for the shape-shifting part, I don't know what will happen. My dad doesn't change into a bird. Maybe I won't either. I don't know though, but I hope not. That would be really weird."

Edward grabbed my arm and pulled me into a full body hug. It felt as if I were being pressed to death by stone, but it also felt so nice to be molded into the supple contours of his masculine body. "So many secrets," he whispered and his lips grazed the top of my ear, "But don't worry, they are all safe with me. I will protect you from me, the world, and yourself if need be."  
I looked up. My face trailed the hard lines of his marble like chest. "My guardian angel."

I could feel him melt. "It has been a long times since someone called me an angel."

"How long?"

He stroked my hair and shushed me. "It doesn't matter. But do try to be careful. There are still lots of dangerous secrets out there."

I untwined from our embrace, "But I'm an open book."

"Not to everyone, Bella. Not to everyone. But please be careful who you tell."

I nodded. He was right. I had to be careful who I told. And if he were right about Ben, well then I did have much more to learn.


	7. Chapter 10 & 11

Chapters 10 & 11 – Beasts, Monsters, and Swans, oh my!

The 1980s are certainly an interesting time and not at all what Bella had expected. She has lots of friends and suitors, granted not all of them are human, but Bella is surprisingly cool with that. Probably because her mother has dropped hints along the way, or maybe it has to do with her love of stories, or maybe it has something to do with her powers.

As boys take more and more notice of Bella, jealously starts to come out and with it warnings. Bella has new found powers and new found love interests. Will she make the right choices? Will she heed her warnings or will she follow her heart?

Wednesday, September 16, 1987

School was just like yesterday. Mike and Eric were still pouting that both Ben and Edward monopolized my time. Eric seemed happy enough to spend his time talking with Angela during Physics, but he was still vying for my attention during English. I also thought other boys were taking more of an interest in me, but then again that really could have been my imagination. I hoped it was anyways. I had enough problems. For starters, Chuck was still having trouble with time travel and the Blacks were really concerned. Chuck assured me that travel to the future was still possible so I had nothing to worry about, but still I could feel his frustrations and it only added to my own. Then I had this whole secret life to deal with thanks to my parents. Not only was I trying to keep the secret that I was from the future, but that I was also a real life, walking, talking myth. But what I really wanted to do was to talk to Ben about what Edward said, but I had no idea how.

At the end of Physics class, Edward slipped me a letter.

"What's this?" I unfolded the paper and two photographs slipped out.

"Pictures of the Volturi inspectors. They arrived this morning. I wanted you to know what they looked like. The girls is Jane and the boy is Felix."

"The boy? More like a man! He looks bigger than Emmett."

Edward shrugged as he gathered his supplies and prepared to make his usual hasty exit once the bell rang. "Just take a good look at their faces and stay away from them. They have special talents and are very good at their work."

I didn't ask him what he meant. He wouldn't have told me. Not here.

"Thanks." I folded the pictures back into the paper and stuffed the letter into my purse.

The bell rang and Edward was gone.

"Ready to go shopping, Bella," Angela stood at the edge of my desk. Her dyed red Mohawk was starting to show its natural red roots.

She was smiling. I studied her briefly as I gathered my belonging. It must have been nice to have a normal life. Sure she sported a Mohawk, so her life was probably a little unusual, but for the most part, I was sure her life was normal.

Mike wished me luck on my shopping adventure and took off for practice, but ever eager Eric stood next to Angela as he waited to escort us to the parking lot.

Eric and Angela easily chatted, thus I didn't have much to do on my part.

Jessica was waiting for us at the front door and we all walked to her car. She hiked up her mini skirt making it even shorter than it was before.

Some random guy I'd never seen before whistled. "Higher, baby, higher," he cat called.

"Enjoy the show," she blew him a kiss.

"Oh, Sparks!" Angela rolled her eyes beneath her glasses.

"What?! If you got it, flaunt it. Speaking of. Let's get Bella some new clothes. I'm tired of seeing her in denim."

Shopping for dresses was a nightmare. The mall had so many stores and each store had so many choices. We spent most of our time at Dillard's though.

Angela stepped out of the dressing room wearing a bright red dress that matched her Mohawk. Jessica and I gushed over it and begged her not say anything about the dresses we had on because neither of us liked the current ones.

She twirled in front of the three-way mirror. "I think I will get this one. I can actually move in it. And I think my black high tops will look nice with it too. What do you think?" She turned to face us.

"I like the dress," Jessica admitted, "but I'm not so sure about high tops."

"But I really want to be comfortable and dance."

"Then go for it," I prompted.

Angela flashed me a grateful smile and returned to the dressing room.

"It's going to look terrible," Jessica muttered as she returned to the dressing room to try on another dress. As she closed the white door, she gave me a fleeting frown.

"I'm going to look for more dresses. There has to be something here," I announced and went the opposite direction of Jessica.

After scouring through rack after rack of dresses, I eventually found a simple blue dress. The search had been hard. Most of the dresses had puffy sleeves or shoulder pads. This dress was a strapless electric blue cocktail dress that came out ball gown style but was cropped at the knee. It was sort of a throwback Audrey Hepburn style in 1980s colors and fabrics. I found it acceptable, so I took it back to the fitting room to try on.

When I came back out, Angela was sitting on a cream colored chair by the three-way mirror. Her chosen dress was draped over the back of her seat, so she sat a little forward as she waited on Jessica.

"Oh that's a nice one! You'll be able to dance in that. Do you like it?"

I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. I did a little twirl like Angela had done just to make sure I was satisfied. I teetered a bit and grabbed the edge of the mirror. Standing up with what little grace I had left, I said, "Yes. I like this one."

Jessica peeked her head out of the door. "Let me see."

I stepped away from the mirrors, so that the half-dressed Jessica could get a look at my dress. Again I was reminded of how almost flawless she was. She had lots of curves and filled out her undergarments nicely. "It's a little old fashion, but the fabric and color are perfect. You should get it. You look great in it. Blue is a good color for you."

Angela agreed.

"That's me done," I smiled and returned to the dressing room.

"UGH! Lucky you. I still have five more dresses I want to try on," Jessica announced.

I could hear Angela groan. I felt the way same way.

Once I was back in my regular clothes, I joined Angela. I sank into the plush seat beside her and wished I could take it home with me. It was comfortable.

"So, do you know anything about Ben?" I asked her as I examined the price tag on the dress I was going to buy.

"Not much. He's a football player. His type and my type don't usually do things together."

"Didn't you grow up together?" I traced my finger down the seams of the dress.

"No. We went to different elementary schools and even junior high schools. I didn't meet him until ninth grade. Until this year, we have always been in the same English class though. He's kind of smart in that way."

"So have you ever noticed anything odd about him?"

"You mean besides like he's a boy and a football player?" She laughed.

"Yes."

"No. I haven't noticed anything weird, but I have heard he used to have a temper."

I scratched my head. "I've heard that too."

"You worried about that?"

I hadn't been, but I was beginning to wonder. The topic kept coming up. And now I had Edward's warning. I looked away. "I'm not sure."

"From what I hear it has always been justified though."

I frowned. "I'd heard the same. But does that really make it right?"

"True."

At that moment, Jessica stepped out of the dressing room and paraded in front of us. "What do you think?"

Jessica modeled a white dress that surprisingly made her look innocent. The dress had a bow on the back and big puffy shoulders. She looked about five.

"Oh it is perfect for you," Angela nodded.

I wasn't so sure. Jessica wasn't exactly the innocent type, but as I looked again, the dress fit her nicely and she did look good. Her complexion complimented the dress and her figure really popped. The dress wasn't exactly low cut, but it did showcase her bosoms which jiggled every time she moved.

I put on my best fake smile and agreed. "You look stunning."

"I do, don't I?" She smoothed the front of her dress with both hands. "I'm totally hot! Gary's gonna _love_ this dress!"

I titled my head. "I think the dress would be more Mike's style than Gary's."

Jessica looked back at it and smiled. "You are right."

"Who is Mike going with anyways?" Angela asked. She rolled up the sleeves to her plaid shirt until they were past her elbows.

"Lauren." Jessica now fiddled with the bow on the back of her dress.

"Who's Lauren?" I tilted my head to the side.

"She's the cheerleader with really blonde hair. So blonde it's white," Jessica stiffened out the bow, but it dropped the second she let it go. She stopped fussing over her dress and looked at me. "You know she doesn't like you."

"Me? Why? I don't even know her."

"Until you came along. The boys were all fawning over her. . . . except Edward. Edward's never noticed girls until you. But she also used to date Ben. I think she's a little threatened by you."

I stammered, but Jessica and Angela giggled.

"Don't worry about it. It is all working out. Lauren will just have to get over it," Jessica unzipped the back of her dress and walked away laughing. "I'm getting this dress, but I guess I'll also need shoes. I'll meet you at the check-out and if you are not there, I'll just follow the trail of broken hearts Bella has left behind."

I looked over at Angela, and she smirked. "That's Sparks."

I smiled and nodded.

Jessica waved off Angela's comment and then disappeared back into the dressing room.

Angela stood up and straddled her purse onto her shoulder. I stood up too and took one fleeting glance at myself in the mirrors. I didn't think I looked any different. I still had my plain old brown eyes and hair. Nothing special, but nothing offensive either. I was of average height and average weight so again nothing that really set me apart from other girls. As I examined myself a little longer, I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

Angela grabbed my arm and dragged me off. "Stop checking out your hot piece of ass. You look good."

"Oh, please," I rolled my eyes, but followed her.

As we stood in line to pay, I looked at my sneakers. "Do many girls were sneakers with their dresses?"

"No, but it seems like a good idea."

"It does. I think I will do that too."

Angela laughed. "Sparks is going to be pissed."

"She'll get over it. And besides I have enough trouble walking in tennis shoes. I can't imagine what it would be like to walk in high heels," I handed the cashier my money for the dress. "While Jessica is looking at shoes, I think I will look for a bathing suit."

I separated from the girls and headed to Dillard's swim suit section. Even though I had been dreading finding a bathing suit, I had no trouble, but mainly because it was the end of the season and I didn't have many choices.

Ben and Gary planned on meeting us at the food court for dinner. When we got to the food court, my appetite disappeared. The place smelled like Chinese food and chlorine so that wasn't very appetizing, but mostly just seeing Ben again made my stomach think about other things.

I scanned the mall looking for the boys. I figured we had gotten to the food court ahead of the boys otherwise I am sure Jessica would have squealed with delight upon seeing Gary. I didn't see the boys, but I was rather impressed with the mall's food court. The room was a large white tiled room with high glass ceilings. It had a futuristic feel to it and I felt right at home for once.

As I predicted, I heard Jessica squeal before I saw the boys. I whipped around and my heart staled in my chest before accelerating again to top speeds.

Ben wore a tight t-shirt that accentuated his every muscle. I loved it when he wore his shirts like that! It drove me crazy though since he looked so incredibly handsome. It wasn't fair. The 1980s had all the cute guys.

Ben's eye locked on mine and he grinned the way a panther would pounce – quick and graceful.

As soon as I saw his smile, the room became a little fuzzy at the edges and all I could see was him. I think Angela might have said something to me, but my brain wasn't processing anything that wasn't related to Ben. How could it? My whole focus was to get to Ben as soon as possible.

I gripped the handles to my shopping bags tightly and marched across the slick flooring with sheer determination. I would fall – at least not until I reached him.

Then before I knew it I was there. I was there standing beside Ben. Staring at him and smelling him. His cologne was deep and fragrant. It was such a nice scent that I wanted to bury my head into his chest and smell it some more. It was sort of spicy and peppermint all at once. I bit my lips just thinking how tasty he would be.

Gary swung Jessica into his arms and tried peeking in her bags while he held her in a confining hug.

"Stop it, Gary," Sparks swatted him on the shoulder and pulled back. "You'll just have to be surprised."

"It's not a wedding," Gary chewed on a piece of gum and tried to get at the bags again.

Jessica shoved the bags behind her back. "Gary?!"

He stopped, but he took her back in his arms and kissed her. It was a little awkward. Them kissing right there in front of us. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity and when they finally parted, Sparks was now chewing gum. I nearly gagged. How could she even think about chewing his used up gum?

"Let's get some food," Gary wrapped his arms around Spark's waist and dragged her further into the food court.

That left the three of us. I felt bad for Angela. Everyone was coupled up, but her. In effort to make her feel less uncomfortable, Ben and I included her in our conversation. I was glad we had, but I had wanted to be alone with him to see if I could learn anything else about him – anything that might give Edward reason to be concerned. But I still didn't know what to say.

"So what did you get, Bella?" Ben said as he reached for one of the handles on my bags.

"Not much," I shifted my bags to my other side.

Ben wasn't as persistent as Gary or perhaps he was more of gentleman for he took my now freed hand into his.

Angela scoffed.

"What?" I faced her.

"Not much. Please. Ben, she's got a bathing suit in there."

Ben pressed his lips into a smile of devilish desire. "Oh, really?!"

"Yes, sir. She does," Angela answered and she thrust her hand into my bags and pulled out the bottoms to my suit.

Blushing like a tomato, I let go of Ben's hands and grabbed the bottoms out of Angela's hands. "Stop that, you two."

Angela was a fit of laughter and Ben was doing his best to keep it together. "Sorry," he gasped. "You are right of course."

"Of course I am," I marched off, but somehow managed to hook my foot under a nearby table leg and teetered out of control.

Per usual, Ben was there to catch me.

"Thanks," I said as I could feel my color rise.

He stroked the side of my face and smiled. "So what do you feel like eating? My treat."

 _You_ I thought to myself. _Keep it together, Bella. Keep it together_.

"I am surprisingly not hungry. This place smells funny."

Ben's hand now brushed the base of my ear and the length of my neck. "Are you sure? You should eat something. A salad perhaps? Soup?"

"And why not a hamburger?" I challenged as I disengaged myself from his embrace.

"By all means. A hamburger it is." He smiled warmly.

"Wait! No! I was just-"

"-being difficult?"

I placed my hands on my hips and planted my feet firmly onto the tiled floor. "Ben? How could you?"  
Ben ran a hand through his glorious hair. "I'm sorry, Bells. That's not at all what I meant. That came out wrong. I really am terrible at this aren't I?"

I laughed. I couldn't help it. The boy was so remorseful he looked more like a cherub now than his usual beefy, angelic self.

"I'll have a chicken sandwich if there is one around here. Will that satisfy your need to feed me?"

He smiled. "Indeed."

The rest of our dinner was us trying not trip over our words with one another and we did our best to include Angela and make her feel comfortable. Thank the gods Gary and Jessica actually behaved as well.

Eventually we made our way outside so that Angela, Jessica, and Gary could all smoke. This gave Ben and I an excuse to wonder off by ourselves.

"You want to get together tomorrow and work on the Poe assignment?" Ben asked.

"Sure." I was so nervous around him. My mouth was so dry that the inside of my lips stuck to my teeth for a second.

Ben leaned in closer and I again could smell his rich scent. His lips turned up into a small, tilted smile like he was happy with the news, but wanted to do something else with his lips other than just smile.

In fact, he looked like he wanted to kiss me, but I wasn't sure. I wish I had Edward's mind reading powers. I tried to pick up on Ben's body cues, but I was never good at that either. I was always over-analyzing the situation. His body was leaned in towards mine and he was watching me intently.

We were standing by a column and I leaned against it for support. I could feel the edges of the rectangular column press into my back. Ben stepped a little closer. I shifted so that the flat surface of the column was behind me. Ben readjusted his steps so that he was once again closing the distance between us. I could feel his heat coming towards me and I hoped that he would kiss me. I stepped back yet again though, but now I was pressed against the column. He leaned in. I couldn't move backwards. Then again I didn't want to move away from him anymore. He took another step closer. His breath was hot on my neck. I felt a surge of desire as my blood boiled. If Ben had been a vampire, I would have made an easy prey.

The hot evening air stirred and with it so did our hair. My longer hair intertwined in his like fingers in an embrace. He looked up at me through the twining of our hair. His smile broadened, but only slightly.

Ben moved even closer. Only my bags separated us. Slowly, I lowered those to my side. Ben took the bags from me with one hand and with the other he smoothed my hair back in place. He leaned in for a kiss. I closed my eyes. His lips just grazed mine when it happened.

I felt someone slam into my arm. Startled, I opened my eyes to a mugging.

A young man in his early twenties with sandy hair and a full beard, bolted past us, snagged my bags, and took off like a rocket towards the parking lot. He had on gray sweatpants even though it was still hot out and he blended in with the surrounding pavement as he darted among cars. His dingy, badly worn out sneakers squeaked against concrete though. Ben's lips stiffened as they parted from mine.

I don't think the man realized his mistake until it was too late. In the blink of an eye, Ben was after him. He moved like a high speed train, but there was also this fluid, almost animal like quality to his moves. He tackled the man and pinned him to the ground faster than I could have said NFL. Ben's full weight rested on the man's chest.

"I'm sorry." The man was laboring for breath, but he managed to throw my bags back in my direction. "No harm. You got your stuff back. Just let me go."

Ben drew his arms back as if to strike, and the man instinctively covered his face with both his arms. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

I was running harder now. I had to get to Ben. I had heard about his temper, but I really didn't want to see it in action. The man was clearly a cowardly thief, but he didn't deserve to get beat up by Ben.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion though. I couldn't move my legs fast enough. I felt as if I were trying to run through waves. I could see Ben's fist ball up and his arm still moving in an upward movement. His face was a mask of determination.

"Ben, don't," I called out to him as I ran towards him.

Gary and Jessica came at the two from a different angle. Gary had the lead. He was football fast. Gary got there before I did and pulled Ben off of the man before anything else could happen. Jessica was also quicker than I was and she scooped up my bags and handed them to me as Angela and I approached.

Gary restrained Ben, but Ben looked calm enough now.

The man was still stammering his apologies.

"I thought you were going to hit him, dude," Gary let go of Ben's arms once he was satisfied that Ben was going to hurt the mugger.

"It took all my will power not to," Ben admitted. His voice was clipped, but controlled. He was still sitting on top of the mugger with his knees digging into the man's ribs. "But it's a good thing you got here when you did." He looked at his hands. They were white from the tension of straining them.

The man looked frightened as Ben said that last part. Ben then smiled at the guy. "You're lucky my friends were here."

"Look. I'm really sorry, man."

Ben slammed his hand against the pavement to the left of the man's face. "Stop talking."

The man winced in fear, but didn't move or say anything more.

Red and blue lights flashed as the mall's security car rolled to a stop beside us. The engine purred to a stop directly at our sides. The red and blue lights continued to blink though.

Two doors swung open and out stepped the guards. They both wore neatly pressed uniforms with big black belts hung low on their hips. Each had a gun holster on their belt and they walked up to us with their hands resting on the guns.

"This guy matches the descriptions of some muggings we've had in the area," one of the guards knelt beside our mugger. The officer had a weasely mustache and spoke with a slight draw. The clean shaven, sharp eyed guard kept a safe distance with his hand resting on his gun, but he agreed.

Ben stood up from the thief and joined us.

"Stay where you are, but roll over. I'm cuffing you," the mustached guard said as he took a pair of handcuffs from his large belt. The metal clanged against itself as he removed it from his thick leather belt. It sounded a bit like the end to a future and I suppose that in a way it was for the mugger.

"Mind if we ask you some questions?" The standing guard walked over toward us as his partner dealt with the criminal. He pulled out a pen and pad from his shirt pocket and flipped it open. He gave me a shrewd look and I could tell he meant business.

He gave me such a piercing look that even though I had done nothing wrong, I was still nervous.

His partner manhandled our assailant into the back of the squad car and then returned to the passenger side of the car as the other man interrogated us in turn.

We each gave him essentially the same account of what happened and he left us satisfied with our answers.

We watched the car drive away. Our mood had shifted, and I think we were all emotionally drained. I know I was.

Gary and Ben walked us to Jessica's car to make sure we weren't mugged again.

"That was totally weird. Nothing like that has ever happened to me. This is a safe place. Wow. Just wow!" Sparks was animated as she finished off another cigarette. Smoke rings parted from her mouth like tiny life preservers. She sighed and then flicked her cigarette onto the pavement as if she could get rid of what had happened to us just as easily.

Gary held her in a half hug while Angela patted Jessica on the arm.

"That was kinda scary you know." She stamped out the lit cigarette with her heel and tried to look pathetic. It didn't really work. Jessica simply wasn't the damsel in distress type.

Ben walked me over to my side of the car. As always he moved with power and athletic grace that must have come from years of playing football, but maybe it was something more.

"Sorry about that," he took my hand in his. I wasn't sure what he was apologizing for – the kiss, the incident, the fact that he almost lost his temper.

"It's okay."

He looked away, but pressed my hand. When he looked back, his eyes were soft, but pleading. "I like you."

"I like you too," I leaned back on Jessica's car.

Ben leaned into me and whispered, "I like you enough to tell you things."

I titled my head. "I should hope so."

"Private things," his mouth was on my ear.

"Oh." My heart was in my throat. My stomach quivered.

We didn't speak. Our bodies were touching, but barely. It was driving me nuts. I wanted to reach around his waist and pull him to me. I could feel the heat of his breath on my neck and I wanted more than just his breath against my skin.

"So, you wanted to talk with me about things. Like your temper?"

He took a step back and looked surprised. "You know I'm trying to get better."

"I know." I was still pressed against the car and I was only inches away from Ben, but I suddenly felt alone, "So. . . what private things?"

He looked embarrassed and as if he regretted saying anything.

"Can I still come over tomorrow? Work on our English together?"

"Of course," I nervously played with the charm on my necklace.

He placed his hand over mine and gently touched the front of my neck. "I will see you tomorrow then."

He turned and walked away. As I watched him leave, I saw that two rows over stood a small female figure dressed in all black. She had shoulder length pale hair that was smooth and straight. The type of hair one would find on someone who was very meticulous. Her face was devoid of emotion, but her probing eyes were filled with concern. The weird thing about her was that her eyes were ruby red. We stared at one another even as I got into the car. It wasn't until we were driving away that I realized she was Jane of the Volturi.

Thursday, September 17, 1987

The doorbell rang at four o'clock and wouldn't stop ringing, but then I realized that the extended ringing wasn't the doorbell at all. In fact, the ringing sensation was coming from my ears because I was just that excited to see Ben again. And he would be at _my_ house. And _I_ would be alone with him at _my_ house. I was being stupid silly falling in love like this, but I couldn't help myself and I didn't want to. Sure, I felt a little guilty about my actions and what might happen to Ben, but the feelings I had inside were so wonderful that I didn't want to let them go.

Tiger was in the backyard and must have heard the doorbell too because he was scratching at the back door as if he wanted to come inside. I wasn't too concerned about the dog though. I was more interested in what was behind the front door.

As I ran to the front door like a manic, I stubbed my big toe on the edge of the sofa. I swear that the hidden wooden leg jumped out from the sofa's skirt just to trip me. I hobbled the rest of the way to the door cursing myself. In my haste to see Ben, I'd injured myself. What did Shakespeare warn in Romeo and Juliet? Haste makes waste? _What did he know_ I thought to myself as I reached the door handle.

I threw open the door and there was Ben. All six foot three plus of him. Like a tower of chocolate waiting to be devoured.

I felt as if I were trapped between two invisible hands. One pushing me forward and the other pushing me backwards. Why, it even hurt to breath, but then something like butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I felt a little better.

"Come in," I motioned for him to enter as I drew the door wider. My proximity to Ben was more than I could bear and I grinned a little too hard despite my best effort not too. I leaned into the door for support which was stupid for it moved with my weight and I bumped into the wall.

"Whoa, easy there. You alright?' He asked as he took the door before I could do any further damage.

"Yes, yes." I nodded. I scuttled out from behind the door and again motioned for him to come inside. "I'm fine. Come on in."

"Thanks," he said in a voice that was provocatively low. He gazed candidly at me as he stepped inside. "How was your afternoon?"

His long hair swayed with his every movement. And it took all my willpower not to grab hold and swing like Tarzan into his broad chest. As it was my heart was already doing a Tarzan yell and again it was all I could do not to pound into his chest.

"Um. . . g-fine," I replied. I kept my eyes on him the whole time as I fumbled with not only closing the door, but locking it. My fingers were about as useful as spaghetti noodles and I felt just as mushy inside. My heart was still running amuck and doing a real number on me.

Ben had already walked into the living room and was looking around. Of course, I only had eyes for him. Besides, I knew my dad's place like the back of my hand. I knew exactly what he was seeing, but I wasn't sure what he was thinking.

My dad's house was fun, but odd place. In fact, it was a bit like a museum. Chuck collected all sorts of myth related artwork from medieval to Native American and displayed everything proudly. And then there were the books. Endless numbers of books. And here my dad was always complaining I had a problem. Hypocrite.

"Nice place," he smiled at me as I hobbled into the living room after him.

He frowned. "Did you do something to your foot?"

I scoffed. "Just stubbed my big toe. It'll be better in a minute."

He didn't except my answer though. "Stubbed toes are the worst," he said. With one quick strut, he was at my side. Then out of nowhere, he slipped his arm under my own so that he could support my weight. "Just tell me where to go."

"The kitchen," I pointed to our right. My words came out thick and dry. Being in Ben's arms was like being in Heaven. I felt so protected and happy. My heart trumpeted as I leaned into his sturdy frame.

We moved slowly as I shuffled my feet across the shag carpet and onto the harvest gold and avocado green linoleum floor. Yay, I'm not ashamed that I was milking my injury a little. Maybe Jessica was rubbing off on me.

"Will this spot work?" His voice was causal, but I detected a hint of amusement. "It seems safe enough even for you."

I did my best not to sigh. I was certainly all the boys' comic relief. "Yes. That's my stuff." I ignored his quip. My heart raced a little faster and if Ben were Edward, I'm sure he would have noticed.

He eased me into a chair next to the spot where I had all my things spread out. Then he sat to my left and set down his own belongings onto the table next to mine.

I watched him as he took out a notebook and pen from his backpack. I wondered if he would bring up yesterday or talk about his secrets. Edward had warned me to be careful with Ben, and Edward was probably right. I studied Ben's big hands and wondered how many times they'd been in a fight. I didn't want Ben to get mad at me, but I also needed to know more about him. I just didn't know how to go about asking him to reveal his secrets, especially if he got mad. I didn't think any of my limited so called powers of love would hold up well in a physical fight. Stupid, powers.

Ben pulled out his textbook and turned to the section we had been working on. As he flipped through the pages, the slight waft of air scent a breeze of Irish Spring my way. Ben smelled so clean. I half closed my eyes as I inhaled. But then the breeze was over and with it the clean scent. Ben had found the page he wanted and was looking at me expectantly.

I turned to my book and grabbed the outer edge. My textbook was already open and ready, so I looked at it. _The Tale-Tell Heart_. My heart felt the same way. I had a secret, and I felt as if my heart would betray me. I could feel it thumping in my chest.

Ben looked at me and smiled. He leaned in close and placed both his elbows on the table, "So. Poe. One of our favorite authors."

"Yes," I said running my hand across the page. My heart pounded faster as he stared at me with his soulful eyes. I really felt as if he could hear my heart. I looked at the page in front of me in effort to avoid his dazzling eyes. "A master of the suspense."

"And the macabre."

"And in the case of this poem. Secrets," I lifted my head just slightly and timidly looked at him.

His eyes twinkled. My heart trumpeted.

"Secrets." He chorused, but his voice was just below a whisper and was more of a sigh.

My heart dipped into my stomach and then rocketed into my throat. I wanted to say something more to him. But what? That I liked him? He already knew that. That I had secrets, and I knew that he had secrets too? Yes! But how? I had the sense that I was treading into a minefield. A minefield that would explode my heart into tiny pieces if I weren't careful.

I fingered the charm on my necklace. "Secrets can be dangerous."

"They can," Ben agreed, "But they can consume you and make you crazy. Like the narrator in the poem."

"True, but you have to be careful of who you tell your secrets to," I let my charm go and leaned so far across the table that I was now laying on top of my book. It wasn't comfortable at all. My heart was still knocking on my chest and I was now feeling light headed.

"I get the sense that we aren't talking about the poem anymore," Ben patted my back cautiously.

"Where we ever?" I wrapped my arms and round my head and cradled it. I couldn't do this. I wasn't good with secrets and lying. I was going to go insane if I didn't tell him soon.

He chuckled and I unfolded my arms. "You think this is funny?" I lifted my head, but felt too woozy, so I laid it back down and turned my head to face him.

"No. You are right. But since it's out there. Do you have anything to tell me?"

"Do you?"

He didn't respond and we stared at one another.

"It appears that we are at an impasse."

I sighed.

"Should we get back to the poem then?" He tapped his book with a pen.

"I thought you said you had something you wanted to talk about?"

He looked down.

"The secret's not just about you is it?"

"No," he admitted.

I decided that if we were going to get anywhere, I would have to start. It broke my heart to do it though. I liked him and he seemed to like me, but what would he think when he learned about what I really was and why he really liked me. I know Edward told me to be careful of who I told my secrets too, but I knew Ben wouldn't tell me anything if I didn't tell him something first.

"Okay, how about a trade?"

"What do you mean?" Ben's brows furrowed.

"A secret for a secret?"

"I can't make any promises."

"Fair enough. Same for me."

"Okay."

"I'll start. I'm not human."

Ben looked a little surprised, but not entirely, and he didn't look at me as if I were crazy either. It was if he already knew that other creatures existed. "You are not human?"

"Not entirely," and then the words just came crashing out, "My mom is part siren. You know like the Greek mythological creatures that lure people to their deaths at sea, but she isn't at all bird like. She's entirely human, but she does have that alluring quality to her."

Ben sat back in his chair and appraised me.

"Sorry. That's part of the reason you like me. It's just my magic." I twisted my necklace around my index finger.

Ben leaned forward and stopped me. "You are crazy. That's not why I like you. Don't get me wrong. You are gorgeous. More beautiful than Rosalie or Alice even, but I like you because of you. Not your looks."

I cocked my head questioningly.

"It's true. You're more than a pretty face. You're interesting to talk to."

"Don't you mean you liked me? How can you like a monster?"

"You are not a monster."

"But I am. I am not human. Oh, and I am a shape-shifter on my dad's side. Or I could be. Doesn't that freak you out? And why are you okay with this all?"

"Because I'm a shape-shifter too."

It was my turn to be surprised.

"What?"

He nodded. "It's true."

"What do you turn into?" I asked.

"What do _you_ turn into?" He countered.

"I've been telling most of the secrets here."

He just leaned back in his seat and folded his arms.

We are at an impasse again.

"Fine. I might someday be able to turn into something really useful like a swan."

Ben smiled, but said only one word. "Bigfoot."

"Bigfoot?"

"Yes."

"You? You turn into Bigfoot? How is that even possible? I thought Bigfoot was its own creature not some sort of shape-shifter."

"No. We are were-apes and that is why no one has ever found any physical evidence of our existence. We can shift from ape to human without detection."

"We?"

"Yes. We. We have a whole secret semi-society that we call the Order of the Rose."

"The Order of the Rose?"

"Yes."

"And you are now exposing them to me?"

"Well. We try to protect all mythological creatures or almost all from any more hunting on the part of humans. So sure. You, as a mythological creature, would be under my protection someday."

I stood up from my chair and started pacing the kitchen. "This is just crazy."

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" Ben stood up too.

I stopped pacing. "This may be hard for you to understand, but all of this is new to me. Until a week ago, I knew nothing about mythological creatures actually existing and I only just found out on Sunday about my own true identity. So I am sorry. That I am making a big deal out of this. But to me it is a big deal."

"Wow!" Ben put his arms around me and hugged me. "I had no idea."  
I started to cry and he wrapped his arms around me tightly. "I'm sorry. This has been a lot for me to process and on top of it. I have all these feelings that I've never felt before and boys are paying attention to me for the first time and I don't know what to do. I feel bad, but I know that it's all because of my powers."

Ben stroked my hair. "Again. Not all of it is your magic. Some of us like you for you. I think those closest to you like Eric, Mike, Edward, and I all genuinely like you."

"No. I don't think so."

"Well I do."

"How can you?"  
"Let me ask you something? Now that you know that I am truly a beast, do you still like me?"

I stiffened. He asked a great question. How did I feel about him? Well, to be honest. I adored him right down to my very soul. "I do. I find you . . . irresistible."

"And I still like you. No problem. In fact, it will probably be easier for us both. Neither of us is exactly human."

"I have more secrets though."

"Of course you do."

I sighed, but he just smiled at me.

I then told him everything about myself and everything that I had learned this past week. I was like a waterfall of information and I could feel myself lighter as I let secret after secret go. I knew that I probably shouldn't, but at this point I just couldn't contain it any longer. Not with Ben anyways. Something about him made me just want to open up to him and give him my soul.

Ben held onto my shoulder. "You are a time traveler?"

I nodded.

"And your father is a member of the Grimm's Brother?"

I nodded again.

Ben looked disappointed and my heart just fell. I wanted to take it all back. I had hurt him somehow, but I didn't know how. I wanted to fix it, but I knew it was too late.

"What's wrong? I don't understand."

"Bella, I like you. I like you too much, but this isn't going to work."

I was crushed. "Because I am a time traveler?"

"Partly, but that your dad is a Grimm's Brother."

"So?"

"Let me put this in terms I think you'll understand. We have sort of a Montague and Capulet situation going on." He pointed his finger back and forth between us. "The Order of the Rose doesn't much like Nephilims, time travelers, or Grimm Brothers. The Order tries to protect mythological creatures and part of that is monitoring time traveling portals."

"I'm confused."

"You are an enemy."

"But why?"

"Where do I start? Most time travelers are not a problem, but some are. We believe they have killed mythological creatures for sport. It's bad enough that most of that sort of killing happened by humans in the past, but now we suspect time travels are may be killing creatures too. Of course not all time travelers are a threat, but some truly are. And thus the whole time traveling situation needs monitoring. Then there are the Nephilims. Again they can be both good and bad, so like time travelers we monitor them too. Now the Grimm Brothers are the real problem. While they haven't done anything wrong, they are cataloguing mythological creatures and risk exposing them to the human population that might start hunting again. That is the problem. We don't agree with the work of the Grimm Brothers."

Ben stopped talking and placed his hands onto the table as if he had just laid out all of his cards in a poker game, and yet he still looked like he wanted to say more. I could tell he was studying me, so I tilted my head to avoid his full gaze.

I blinked my eyes at him though. I could feel tears welling up, so I blinked even more. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying. Rubbing my fingers under my eyes, I dabbed up any loose moisture. I didn't want him to see me in tears, plus I was still so confused. My dad was a good guy. He was like some harmless little old professor. He wouldn't ever do anything nor would any of his friends. Why was Ben getting so upset?

Withdrawing my arms off the table, I shoved myself hard enough back into my seat to knock a pencil off the table. I ignored the pencil now rolling across the floor. We both did.

"But the work of the Grimm's Brothers is purely academic."

"We don't agree with it." His head was slightly bent and his brows drawn together in thought.

"So what do we do? Now what?" I balled the edge of my shirt into my palms as if I could wring a solution out of it.

"I don't know. I like you, but I just don't know. You have two strikes against you."

"Is that how you feel?" I pulled away.

"No. Not all. But that's what my friends and family will think. But then again you are a shape-shifter maybe they can cut you some slack, but I just don't know." He fingered his chin. His brows were knitted together in thought. "I like you and I don't want to lose you. There has to be some way to make this all work, but I can't figure it out." He looked at me with dark eyes that soften as I stared into them, "But I will. Oh, and please don't tell about my secret."

"Same."

Sighing his shoulders melted to a natural state. His face relaxed. His eyes were staring at me again with the unending depths of the deepest night. I wanted to dive right into whatever visions lay on the other side.

I don't know if he leaned towards me or if I leaned toward him, but we were once again inches away from one another as if we just couldn't keep away from one another no matter what. He reached out and touched my cheek. My stomach blossomed from the heat of his touch. I wanted more though – oh so much more!

"You are so beautiful, Bella." His finger grazed across my jaw and onto my neck, leaving an invisible trail of heat.

I smirked, but nuzzled against his hand now cradling the back of my neck.

"I mean it."

"I'm dangerous," I pouted.

"No more than me," he winked and tapped his chest.

Without warning, he grabbed me into a kiss. The warmth of his arms around me felt nice, but it was his lips pressed to mine that sent my heart racing faster and crazier than anything Poe could imagine. I thought my heart would pound right out of my chest as he leaned in closer and the weight of his lips on mine increased. All my secrets and all my fears washed away under his touch. His kisses were soft and slow as if he could spend all day entwined with me. There was force to his kiss that hinted at urgency though, but yet there was also controlled finesse to his technique. Whatever he was doing was both satisfying and tantalizing. I gasped for breath as every inch of my body wanted to surrender to him.

He broke away, but held me by my shoulders, "I will figure something out." He then kissed me again. It was just as intense as before. Romeo and Juliet style.

In the background. Blondie was singing the _Tide is High_.


	8. Chapters 12- 16

Friday, September 18, 1987

Friday was a bad day. During first period, Ben told me that he couldn't sit with me at lunch today, but asked if he could come over after school. I could feel my stomach churning. This was is it. He was done with me. I asked him if he wanted to end things, but he assured me that wasn't the case. Then in a lowered voice, he promised he hadn't said anything to anyone, but please just to trust him and could he come over and talk later. Of course I agreed, but I had a funny feeling about it.

Throughout the day, I noticed that some of Ben's friends were giving me dirty looks. Had he really kept his mouth shut? I was getting suspicious. Had I so misjudged him? Was I so blinded by my stupid emotions that I hadn't noticed that he was a traitor? I wasn't sure I wanted him coming over after school now. What could I say to him? I thought about asking Edward over too, but decided against it. I'd made this mess and now I had to clean it up.

By the time I made it home from school that day, I felt sick to my stomach from nerves or maybe it was because I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. I was too upset to eat.

Tiger went ballistic when the doorbell rang that afternoon. I had to use my leg to hold him back from the door when I opened it.

I barely opened the door, but Tiger muscled his way past my leg and stuck his nose out the door.

"Can I come in?" Ben smiled and then knelt down to let Tiger sniff him.

Ben looked so calm. How could he be so causal? And around me? I wondered about him. He didn't seem like he was upset. Maybe I had things wrong. Maybe he was still into me.

"Just a second," I bent over and hooked my hands through Tiger's collar. I opened the door to admit Ben, but kept a tight rein on the dog. It was at that point I saw the female vampire again. She was sitting in the driver's side of a Mercedes parked just across the street. I waved at her, but she looked away.

"Who are you waving at?" Ben looked behind him and spotted the girl in the fancy car. "Who is that? You know her?"

"No."

I wasn't exactly lying. I knew who she was, but I didn't know her. I don't know why I didn't tell him anything about the vampire. I guess I was just too on edge and a little suspicious of him. I hated feeling this way about him though.

I watched him as he walked into my house and my heart slide into my stomach. I really wanted him and it hurt to think that I might not get that chance. I sighed and tried to check my emotions. I had to be strong.

Tiger pulled out of my hand once I closed the door and was jumping on Ben.

"Oh, such a good boy," Ben rubbed the dog on either side of his shoulders.

Tiger did his bawling bark. He loved Ben. Well, the attention anyways.

I walked into the living room and the two of them followed.

I sat in a chair so that Ben couldn't sit next to me. I even crossed my legs and folded my arms across my chest all in an attempt to say back off. My heart dipped when Ben took the sofa. I had really hoped that he'd try to sit by me even though I had made it difficult for him to do so. I smiled though as Tiger jumped onto the sofa next to Ben and put his head in Ben's lap. Ben stroked the dog absentmindedly. "Are you okay? You seem upset."

"I'm fine," this time I lied. I didn't know what was going on, but things were different between us today. "What about you?"

Ben scratched at the base of his neck. "Yeah. We have a problem?"

"We?"

"You and I."

"What sort of problem," my voice as cautious.

He sighed and then stood up from the sofa and walked towards me. He had such a natural gait to his walk that was almost graceful. "Clear Lake is not that big of a town. Given enough time people can start to find things out and connect who is related to who. I'm just a kid, so of course I don't know much about the Order and their business. But it turns out the Order already knows that your Dad is a time traveler and a member of the Grimm's Brother. He is on the Order's watch list."

"What does that mean? Is he in danger?" I uncrossed my legs and leaned forward.

"No," Ben looked shocked. "Not at all. But honestly, I don't know what they do exactly. They are just watching him, and making sure he doesn't cause trouble. I've been told he's not in any danger though. But the problem is that they know he's your father. I've been forbidden to see you anymore."

"Oh." My lungs felt as if someone had let all the air out.

"But I'm not going to do it. I can't. Being away from you at lunch was torture. I want to be with you even though I know I shouldn't. I can't help it." He knelt beside me and draped his hand onto the armrest of my chair.

"What do you mean you shouldn't? Is it because I'm weird?" I crossed my legs again and angled myself away from him.

"Not at all. It's the future thing and Grimm's Brother thing. My Order has deep prejudices there that are hard to overlook, but I can't be away from you. It would drive me crazy. Maybe even make it harder for me to control my temper. I don't know why, but I need you, Bella." He was gripping the arm rest with full strength now, the fabric folding under his fingers like playdoh.

I squirmed in my seat. I wanted him and he wanted me. I should have been happy, but I couldn't because everyone seemed to be out to get us. Why did life have to get in the way of love? Plus, I was still worried my hold over him had to be something related to my powers. Or maybe my power only worked on humans and he really liked me. I just didn't know.

"I don't understand why the Order hates my kind so much."

"It's a long history. I'm not saying it is right either. But it is hard to change the past. But keep in mind. In the past, humans, and some of them were even members of the Grimm Brothers, hunted and killed mythological creatures just because they were different." He loosened his grip, but was now kneading the fabric beneath his fingers as if he wanted to touch me, but wasn't sure I'd let him.

"Ben I like you too, but I'm afraid. I'm worried about my dad. What would our relationship do to him? Would the Order come after him because of us?" I turned to face him and stared into his liquid night eyes. I still kept my arms crossed over my chest as if to hold myself together.

"No."

"Are you sure? If they are that prejudice, why wouldn't they come for him? I should probably tell him about you guys just so he has a chance."

"Bella, he'll be fine. There is no need to tell him about the Order. They are not going to hurt him."

"You don't really believe that or you wouldn't have brought it up. You are just trying to calm me down. Besides, my dad has other people watching him. The Volturi."

His brows drew together in a puzzled look. "The Volturi?"

I then explained to him about the Volturi and how they were currently watching Chuck. "I'm really scared for both him and myself. I have were-apes and vampires staking out my house. How fun is that?" For once I let go of myself and extended my arms out in front of me in an imploring gesture. I felt even worse and quickly wrapped myself with arms again.

"I will protect you." He let go of the chair and stroked the length of my hair.

"What about Chuck?"

"I will protect him too."

"This is getting complicated." Unfolding my arms, I waved one hand in the air and I used the other to support my head which now felt as if it were weighed down by secrets, "The idea of us is a bad one."

He looked hurt and withdrew his hand. "Are you saying that you don't have feelings for me?"

"Of course I have feelings for you, but we're star-crossed. This relationship wasn't meant to be. It shouldn't happen. We are from different times and clearly your 'society' doesn't want me." I had a solitary finger touching my lip as if I were holding back more secrets.

"Tell your dad to go back to the future. And we can run away. I'll go to the future with you or you can stay here in the past with me. I don't know. But the two of us can work." He stood up and paced the room with a powerful gait. Tiger jumped down and a followed him. Ben's fingers on his left hand twiddled one after the other on his thumb as if he were a fly trapped on one of those sticky insect strips. "I want to be with you, Bella."

"I don't know, Ben. Sounds like our parents wouldn't approve of our relationship."

"How Romeo and Juliet of us," Ben said as he came to a stop and looked at me.

"And look how well that turned out for them." I twiddled my own fingers now.

Ben shook his head. "You are doing it again. Making a big deal of it."

"Ben, this can't work. I don't see how." I threw my hands into the air out of frustration.

"Don't say that. Why don't we date in secret until we figure this out?"

"Homecoming? You're planning to take me to Homecoming. That isn't exactly secret."

"Oh, right? We're going as a group. It can't be that bad."

I looked at him.

"Okay. It is, but like I said. I don't care. Just promise me that you will give me some time. We can make this work."

"Fine," I agreed. "I'm a siren. It's what I do. I lure men to their deaths."

Ben just laughed as he walked over to me. "You are silly, but men would willing follow you to their deaths."

"And that's a problem."

Ben took my hand and with it my whole heart. I looked into his dark wise eyes and couldn't help wonder if we weren't making a mistake – after all only fools rush in.

Saturday, September 19, 1987

Saturday might as well have been summer. It was hot and humid. The heat was oppressive and didn't do much to improve my mood. My hair insisted on sticking to the back of my neck. This is going to be a long, miserable day I thought to myself as I yanked the door open to my little bug and slid onto my seat. I readjusted the rear view mirror so that I could get a look at myself. It was then I noticed a Mercedes across the street. I sighed. The Volturi must have been really bored if all they had to do was keep tabs on me. Ignoring the other car, I peeled my hair off my neck and swept it into a messy bun. Once I was satisfied with the results, I readjusted the mirror and started up the car.

As I pulled into the street, I was tempted to side swipe the Mercedes, but decided to leave well enough alone. I cranked up the AC in my car and drove a little faster than necessary. If the Volturi were really planning on trailing me, I wasn't exactly going to make it easy for them. I drove out to Mike's shop on the lake and parked.

I saw a group of teenagers milling around outside the shop and figured they were some of Mike's friends. I sighed and got out of the car. Might as well get it over with. As I walked across the parking lot towards them, I noticed a Mercedes pull in and park. It was the same one that was parked in front of my house earlier. Guess, I hadn't lost them after all. I glanced towards the car and saw that the driver was blond headed vampire, Jane. I waved, but she didn't respond.

Mike came running out of the shop. "You made it, Bella." He was full of smiles and that made me happy.

"Yes," I smiled back and it felt good to genuinely smile again without it meaning more.

"Did you bring anyone with you?" His eyes traveled back towards my car.

"No. Jessica is meeting me here though."

"She's in the store right now using the restroom."

"Do you need to go before we head out?"  
I shook my head.

Mike's smile fanned out across his face and he called for the others to meet us at the docks.

"Ready?" He inched his way towards me until our arms were touching and then he swept one of his arms around my shoulder.

"Umm, Yes." I stammered. I wasn't use to so much physical contact – at least not from boys.

He led me over to the boat ramp, and there a shiny brand new motorboat was docked up. It was sparkling white with red decaling.

"Nice boat," I said as he helped me on board. "Now don't let me fall. You know I'm clumsy."

"I won't let you fall," he assured me. He then found what he promised me was the best seat on the boat. It was a captain style chair right beside the driver's seat. "You will be comfortable and shielded from the spray, but up tall to see everything."

His friends piled into the boat next with Jessica being the last to board.

He introduced me to his friends. "Everyone. This is Bella. Bella. This is everyone."

I smirked at him and he laughed.

"Don't mind, Mike," a girl with strawberry blond hair and skin almost as milky as mine chuckled and stretched out her hand to shake mine. "I'm Debbie. And this is Lisa, David, and Allen."

It turned out that David and Allen were baseball players like Mike and both had lean, athletic builds and sharp eyes.

"Nice bun. Your hair almost stands up as tall as mine," David patted his dark, curly hair that piled another two inches to his height.

Lisa bumped into David with her hips, "You'll do anything to look taller, short stop."

"Who are you calling short?" David grazed his hand over Lisa's long dark hair in effort to show that she was also short.

"Bella, welcome aboard the crazy train . . . or boat," Allen said between chuckles. Like David, he also had dark hair, but his eyes were startling blue with flecks of green swimming on the edges. He had a clean cut appearance and sparkling personality much like Mikes and I could see why the two of them were friends.

The sun was still bright and I shielded my hand over my eyes.

"You might want to put your sunglasses on," Jessica said as she slide her own pair over her eyes and took a seat in the back.

As I rummaged through my bag, I could see that the Volturi girl had gotten out of her car and walked towards the docks. She wore black trousers and a matching blazer. She had on sunglasses, but I knew that she had red dangerous eyes underneath. Edward had told me something about blood-sucking vampires all having red eyes. It was weird, but useful information.

Mike started up the boat and undocked. The boys on board were loud, but then again they had to be to be in order to be heard over the motor once Mike really got the boat going. It was weird watching Mike work. He was just a kid, but he really knew his way around a boat.

We drove out across the lake. It was rough and bumpy, but then we passed under a bridge on a small cut through channel which opened up to a second, calmer lake. The water was far more forgiving on the boat. We passed a series of houses on the water and Jessica pointed to one of the large, estate size houses. "That's Ben's place. He's loaded."

"I had no idea. Wow, that's a nice place." I replied as I examined the estate. The land surrounding his house was sprawling and heavily wooded, but his immediate backyard was well manicured and 80s modern.

"He didn't tell you?"

"No."

"What do you two talk about? Or is there much talking?"

I nudged her with my shoulder. "Stop it. You are so bad. I don't know. We talk about books and mythology."

"You're an idiot, Bella. Boys don't want to talk about that stuff. They want to do things or talk about thinks that do stuff. Like cars. And even worse than that. Geesh, and I really can't believe you two are still talking; just get to the kissing."

A song came on and Jessica jumped up. "Turn it up Mike. It's Madonna."

I listened to the song and thought of my mom. Something about material girls.

Jessica went to the front of the boat and danced. Her smoke like hair was blowing in the wind and shrouded her face. She raised her hands into the air and bobbed her head. She then peered through her arms and motioned for me to join her. I shook my head, but Allen joined her.

"It's always a party with Sparks around," Mike leaned over from his driver's seat towards me.

I agreed. "I'm lucky to have her as a friend. She balances me. I'm too . . ."

"Reserved?" Mike suggested when I couldn't supply an adjective to describe myself.

"Yes, usually," I placed my hands on the dash and stood up to better see around Jessica. "So do you just drive the boat around all day?"

"No, we'll go a little further in on this lake which is called Taylor Lake and then anchor it for a while. Then we might go back to barefoot alley and run the ski course. You up for water skiing?" He settled back into his seat, but kept one hand on the steering wheel.

"I'm not very coordinated."

"That's the good thing about water skiing. You'll be falling on water." Mike had on a reassuring smile.

"I could drown."

"I won't let it happen." His smile broadened as he steered around another boat.

As promised, Mike went a little further up the lake and then threw out an anchor. Lisa was thoughtful enough to have packed snacks and pulled out two bags of chips to share.

David grabbed one of the bags right off and wouldn't share. He and Allen wrestled over the chips while the rest of us shared the second bag.

Debbie took her shirt off and David and Allen stopped fighting long enough to watch. "Why don't you take it all off, Debbie," Allen said as he pointed at her bathing suit top.

"Yeah, right, Allen," Debbie said and she grabbed the bag of chips away from him.

"It's nice out here," I lied as I looked around. It was okay, but nice was a stretch. It was hot and humid and the water looked like oil. I never realized water could be brown.

As if he could read my mind, Mike replied, "I know the water isn't the prettiest, but still there is something peaceful about water – even this water."

I watched the water lap up against the boat as another boat passed by. Our boat rocked gently in the wake. He was right. It was sort of peaceful out here away from the concrete roads and brick houses.

Another song came on and Debbie turned up the volume. She and Jessica went to the front of the boat.

"I'm in," Allen said as he danced his way to the bow of the boat.

"Why not," Lisa said and she joined the others.

"More chips for me," David said stuffing a fistful into his mouth.

"Get up here," Lisa turned back around, grabbed David's wrist, and started pulling him with her towards the dancers.

That left Mike and I as alone as one can get on a boat.

"I guess it's hard to be shy on a boat."

Mike laughed. "No need to be shy. We're all friends."

I looked at Mike. He had such an earnest face. The kind one expected to find on a Boy Scout. The best part about him was that he always – or almost always – seemed genuinely happy.

"So, I hear you are taking some girl named Lauren to Homecoming."

"It's just a friend thing. I'd rather take someone else, but she's going with someone already."

"I hope that you two have good time."

"Thanks. So you and Ben are planning on going to the dance."

I nodded.

He sighed.

"What?"

"Don't get mad at me, Bella, but I don't think Ben's the right type for you. You're so . . . reserved and nice and Ben, while nice, has been known to lose his cool."

"Thank you for your concern, Mike, but from what I understand he only losses his temper in extreme cases and that those cases are often justified. Besides he has gotten much better at handling his anger. And don't you believe in second chances?"

"Maybe. But maybe a leopard can't change its spots either."

I looked at Mike, and I knew that he was genuinely concerned.

"I can take care of myself," I lied. In the past, I would have believed that, but now I wasn't so sure. Like could I really fend off vampires if they came after me or were-apes or Nephilims? And what about my own powers? Would I be safe because I could make them fall in love with me or that could I turn into a swan and fly away?

Mike ran his hand across the vinyl. "I'm sure that you can take care of yourself and maybe you are right about Ben. Maybe I'm just worried because I am jealous. Bella, I like you. I like you a lot. And I don't want you to get hurt. And I'd like to date you, so I will wait for you."

I sighed. Poor Mike. My powers were clearly affecting him. Or that's what I figured. Nothing like this had happened to me before. Boys didn't like me. Not like this. "What about Lauren?"

"Just friends."

I looked over at Jessica. "What about Sparks? You two are always so happy."

"I like Sparks, but so do a lot of guys. And she likes them a lot too. Maybe someday Sparks will get serious, but I don't think she's really ready to date someone long term."

I looked at Mike again. He was such a good guy. He was right again. He was the kind of guy I should date if I were human, but I wasn't. That was the problem. I was all wrong for him.

"There has to be a girl out there for you."

"There is and I've told her. I will wait for her."

"Mike?"

"Now, come on. We're bumming everyone out. Let's dance," He grabbed my wrists and pulled me up.

"I don't dance."

"You'll need to learn if you are going to homecoming."

"Me and dancing are a dangerous combination."

"I'll risk it." He winked. "You're worth it."

The song _Take on Me_ by A-ha came on and he pointed at me.

Poor Mike. I wished that he didn't feel this way about me. I was dangerous. So very dangerous, but I couldn't make him or any of the other boys see it. I shook my head. Boys were foolish. Absolutely, heartbreakingly foolish.

Sunday, September 20, 1987

I spent most of the day doing homework. I had a lot of it too. It had been a busy week and sounded like next week would be too. I was glad Mike had made me dance. I found out that 1980s dancing was all that hard after all. It was a lot of jumping up and down and swaying side to side. I could do that. Okay, not well, and I could easily fall down, but I could do it a little.

I was having a hard time concentrating on homework. I kept thinking about Ben even though I didn't want to. I eventually gave up and turned my efforts toward doing my chores. But doing laundry and cleaning bathrooms let my mind wonder even more. I wondered how Ben was doing. And wondered how we were going to continue dating without causing problems. Maybe I should just be like Jessica and date a bunch a boys. Or maybe I should just stick my head back in my books and forget boys. Love was too complicated.

Mike called and asked me out to go see a movie. He assured me it could just be a friend thing, but I knew that was a lie. I told him that I was behind on my work which was true, but thanked him profusely. Maybe a little too profusely because he asked me out for later in the week. Again I declined. I could hear the disappointment in his voice when he said good-bye.

My day was mind-numbing long, and I couldn't find anything to distract me. Thankfully that evening Chuck provided me with the just the right distraction. He suggested we have dinner at the Blacks again.

"Will the Cullens be there?" I asked.

"Probably. You getting to know them at school?"

I shrugged, "A little. Speaking of school. When will Jacob return?"

"Not till next semester."

"Oh. So when are you wanting to go?"

"Grab your purse; we can go now. And let's take your car. I bet Jacob would enjoy seeing it again."

"Sure."

It didn't take me long to get ready or to drive over to the Blacks.

Rachel greeted us at the door with a kiss and then welcomed us in. She was dressed expensively in a hot pink jumpsuit that suited her frame nicely. The fabric must have been silk since I could hear it swish as she moved aside for us. She towered over me in her six inch heels and she looked as if she'd just stepped off a Parisian runway. Then I remembered her twin sister did work in Paris for a fashion designer. Rachel probably was wearing a designer label. I sighed. I felt a little frumpy in my regular clothes of jeans and t-shirts.

"Billy's in the office if you want to join him, Mr. Swan. He's still working on getting the bugs worked out of your time traveling stuff," Rachel then turned to face me as Chuck left. She reached out and stroked the side of my hair, "So, I hear your dad told you some interesting news this week. Welcome to the dark side. You're gonna love it!"

"It's not like this is _Star Wars_." Jacob slide down the stairwell's banister and landed on the wooden floor like an angel descending heaven.

Rachel laughed. It was musical. "She's another attractive girl. Attraction is a very powerful," she looked at her brother, but then turned to face me. She patted my arm as she steered me into the family room, "Use it well."

Jacob rolled his eyes, and then faster than humanly possible he was at my side. "Ignore my sister."

"You can try, but it won't help," she warned playfully. Her lips pulled up and she winked at us.

"How's school, Bella?" Jacob asked, doing his best to ignore his older sister.

I groaned. "Kinda boring at times. You are so lucky to get a break."

"I wouldn't say lucky."

My smile faltered. "Sorry."

"It is what it is. No use in crying about it, right? So, I hear you are going to homecoming with the Beast." Jacob pulled me from his sister and led me towards the sofa.

"You know him?"

"Of course. Everyone does."

"I see."

"Just watch your back. His ex-girlfriend, Lauren, is kinda possessive and a little bit mean."

"I've heard a few things about her, but not that."

Rachel laughed. "Sounds like you are getting the full high school experience."

I joined in her laughter, "I guess. I'm dating the football star, made enemies with a cheerleader, and my best friends are all storybook characters."

"If the shoe fits," Jacob nudged me on the shoulder. "Get it. Cinderella."

"She gets it, Jacob," Rachel waved him off and took my arm from him.

I felt like a piece of meat with Rachel and Jacob outdoing one another for my attention. Rachel offered me a seat on the sofa, but Jacob swooped in and sat beside me before his sister could. In fact, Jacob bumped into her and almost knocked her to the floor. It was the first time I'd seen either of them being anything but graceful.

It was at that point that Edward walked into the room. He frowned to see that Jacob was sitting next to me. The frown was only temporary though.

"I just had some good news," Edward walked across the floor. His movement were stiff and I wondered why.

"You don't look like you've had good news," Rachel replied, she brushed a strand of her long, silk like hair from her face. "Do smile, Edward. You have the most delicious smile."

Jacob hit his sister, "Who talks like that?"

"What's the news?" I asked.

"The Volturi are leaving."

"Good riddance," Jacob blurted out. Then he looked at Edward. "No offense. You're different."

"None taken. I think your sentiments were right on the mark. We are all glad to see them go." He laced his ivory fingers together and smiled at Jacob.

"Ah, there's that delicious smile," Rachel walked over to Edward and touched the side of his face with her hand. Her head tilted sideways as if she were examining a piece of art.

"What does that mean?" I leaned forward in my seat so I could see past Rachel and get a better look at Edward. "The Volturi are leaving Jacob, my dad, and I alone?"  
"They are. Your dad isn't a threat. Neither is Jacob and neither are you. At least as of now you aren't threats, but you will forever be on their list of people needing to have tabs checked on from time to time." Edward said as he sat down in a nearby wingback chair.

"That's not so bad," Rachel shrugged and walked away from Edward as if she had already lost interest in him not that he was no longer smiling.

Edward didn't looks so convinced.

"But you are still concerned?" I asked Edward.

"It would be better if they didn't know about you, but this is the best outcome we have available to us now." Edward folded his hands neatly on his lap. "Jacob is right. It is good news." Edward then looked at me. "Do you have any good news?"

I squirmed a little in my seat. Edward didn't have to be a mind reader to tell that I knew something. I wasn't ready to share what I had learned about Ben though. Not just yet. I knew that I should because he would be telling others about us, but I still was confused. Where did my loyalties lie anyways? I had the Nephilims, the vampires, the were-apes, the swans, the sirens, the time-travelers, the Grimm Brothers, and possibly countless other mythological creatures depending on me. Who was innocent in all this? Was anyone? And who needed protection? And who needed protection from whom? And then of course there were my friends and my dad. Ugh! I had all their secrets to guard. Whose loyalty should I respect then? Probably my dad's, but if his project was causing this much trouble, maybe not.

I sighed and looked at Edward. "No. I do not have any good news at this time." It wasn't a lie.

Edward looked at me with knowing eyes. "Remember be careful, Bella. Information is a powerful, but dangerous thing. Too much of it could get you into trouble. Your dad is a classic example."

"I understand," I met his calculated gaze with one of my own.

Rachel laughed and Jacob joined.

"All this seriousness," Rachel was beside me once more and she stroked my hair again. "Relax. It will all work out. It has for centuries; it will do so for centuries more."

I liked Rachel and Jacob. They were so easy to get along with and always so positive and happy.

Edward looked at me one final time. "You don't have anything at all?"

I glared at him. "No, I do not." My words came out slow and clear.

Edward folded his arms across his chest to stare me down, but then after a long moment, he gave up and looked away.

For the moment, I was a bank vault of secrets and no one, not even Edward, was going to get one out of me. I knew I couldn't hold out forever, but for tonight. All secrets were safe with me. I just hoped they wouldn't give me any more secrets though!

Monday, September 21, 1987

I spoke with my mom in the morning. She only had two weeks left to the wedding. She hoped that I might make it back for the wedding. She didn't like to hear that there were problems with the time traveling machine, but was glad to hear that it was working to go into the future still.

She apologized for not telling me earlier about what I was, but she said they wanted me to grow up normal and that the "powers" as I was calling it weren't that bad or even strong. She assured me I would be fine. I wasn't sure I believed her though.

My school day wasn't much better.

First period was boring with Ben gone. Mike and Eric were thrilled though. Mike chatted on and on about our boat trip and how much fun he had. He asked me out for the weekend after homecoming and I accepted. He was right. Boating was a little fun.

Edward didn't sit by me at Physics today which made both Mike and Eric happy, but Edward did appear at the end of class and escorted me to my car. That made Mike and Eric pout. Edward was his usual brooding self, but as always seemed amused by me. "Mike and Eric don't like it when I am pay you so much attention."

"That's their problem," I was a bit miffed that Edward was delighted in all this human love complication. But then I felt bad I said that. It wasn't their fault they felt this way about me.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked as he studied my face, "Your face has gone from angry to sad."

"Am I that obvious?" I placed a hand to my face.

"Not really," Edward admitted. "But since I can't read your mind, I've been trying to read your body language. Plus, I have the advantage of my vampire senses." He tapped his nose.

I hugged the straps of my backpack to my shoulder and tried to shrink away. "Edward!

"

I tripped over my own feet and Edward grabbed my arm and straightened me upright. "Gathering information is what I am supposed to do."

"Can't change the spots on leopard?"

"Something like that," he laughed. Then he got serious. "I should probably stay away from you though."

"What do you mean?"

"Give you a chance to meet some nice people like Mike. He would be a nice guy for you by the way."

"That wouldn't be fair to him. He's human remember. And my uniqueness is messing with him."

"I'm telling you he likes you and it is more than any magical connection."

"You don't know that."

He didn't say anything at first, "Okay, maybe you are right. I don't know. It's just a feeling I get. I can read their minds and the boys that are attracted to you have different flavors to them. I can pick up on ones that are deeper and richer. His is pretty deep. He likes your mind too. I think he likes you and it's not anything to do with magic."

I looked at him.

"You still don't believe me?"

I shook my head.

"I 'heard' that you were mugged last week. Why didn't you just use your powers to lure him to his death?"

"Maybe I did. I had the Beast with me."

Edward laughed.

"Yes, and how is that going? You are not okay with toying with Mike's affections, but you are okay with Ben?"

I was mad now. "Edward Cullen! My love life is really not your concern." I marched off.

Of course he caught up to. "Fair enough. I will let it go."

We walked in silence to my car. Edward seemed annoyed by how slow I walked, but he kept his mouth shut for once.

I went to open my door, but he stopped me. "Bella. Many people have secrets around you that need guarding. Don't betray them. It would be dangerous to do so."

"Are you threatening me?"

Edward let go and looked baffled. "I didn't mean _I_ would hurt you. I already made that promise to myself that I wouldn't hurt you. Ever. But remember the Volturi."  
"I'm painfully aware of them. But the Volturi danger is over."

Edward laughed. "It is never over with them. We will always be on their watch list, but so long as we don't jeopardize the existence of vampires, we should be fine."

"But my dad?"

"Your dad isn't making the information public. It is only being chronicled for his society. He is in no danger at this time. But if he accidently leaks the information or you do, then the retaliation will be quick and swift. I'm sorry to say."

"And they wouldn't want to change us into vampires?"

"Well, if they knew what you were maybe, but I doubt it. They have enough going on that they don't like going around making more vampires. We do live forever in case you forget. And the more vampires, the more risk of exposure."

I nodded my understanding.

"And remember your friends, the Blacks, have things to lose if their secrets are revealed."

His words stabbed me like a knife.

I was such a monster. I had revealed too much to Ben. I chewed on the inside of my lip as I decided what to do. Ben's society knew about us so it was only fair we knew about them.

I sighed. It hurt. I was going to betray Ben, but in order to protect my friends and family, I had no other choice.

"Get in the car, Edward. I have something to tell you."

We both got in and I told him everything. Edward sat like a statue the whole time. It was kind of freaky.

"Bella. I think you have this siren thing backwards. You seem to be the one in danger all the time."

"It's not funny, Edward."

"It's not," he agreed. "You need to tell your father. He could be in trouble."

"The group has never caused problems before."

"That we know of, and no one has known of them until now."

I sighed, "True." Then I felt awful. Maybe my father had been safe because he didn't know. But now he would know. Would that put him in danger or would that protect him?  
I looked at Edward and asked him that very question.

"You know me. I'm all about having information. It is the best way to make an informed decision."

"UGH! I hate this! I've really messed up, haven't I? I'm just betraying everyone."

"It'll be okay, Bella."

"Easy for you to say. You're used to having information. And you can't even help it. I'm not so used to this and then what do I do? I blabbed. So much for being able to keep secrets. No one is ever going to trust me again."

He stroked my hair and shushed me. "It'll be okay, Bella." Then he chuckled. "So Beauty and the Beast are an item now?!"

I smirked at him.

"What it is true!" He stroked my hair. "You are a beauty. He's a beast. And you are an item."

"We'd like to be, but can't." I reminded him.

"Love always finds away. It's like water. It can't be held."

"One can drown in water," I pointed out.

He stroked my hair again. "But you are a swan, Bella. You can't drown."

"I don't know. I've really botched things up. Ben will probably never forgive me."

"If he truly loves you, he will."

"And what about everyone else I love? Will they be able to forgive me?"

"Probably. I know I do." He took my hand and placed it over his heart. He was my Paris and it hurt me that I didn't love him the way he loved me. My soul belonged to another.

Tuesday, September 22, 1987

Dad left for work in a bad mood. Time traveling was still a huge problem. I felt bad for him. At least he didn't have the Volturi to worry about anymore. Unfortunately, other problems were still out there, and I didn't really know how to tell him. Not just yet. Ben and I were still working things out for ourselves.

Mom was having her own crisis with the caterer. They weren't able to do the smoked salmon as promised. She was all in a tizzy over it too. As I drove to school that morning, I laughed to myself at how different my parents' problems were.

The moment I set foot on campus, I forgot all about my troubles though. My whole body tingled with excitement, and I couldn't seem to move fast enough. It was Tuesday and that meant Ben would be back at school. I couldn't wait to see him again. Funny how much had changed in a week. Once upon a time I hated high school, but now it was almost a haven for me.

I scoured the commons, but didn't see Ben anywhere. Sparks waved at me, and although I returned the wave, I didn't stop. I slogged through the milling students and made my way to the library. Again no Ben.

My heart sank. He had promised he'd be here today.

The bell rang and I cursed. It was homeroom day. I would have to wait a little longer to see Ben. I trudged off to class, pouting the whole way.

Finally first period arrived, and as I approached the classroom, my pulse skyrocketed in anticipation. I battled my way through the crowd congregated around the door and burst into the room. No Ben. I threw my backpack on the floor and took my favorite seat. I set my copy of Pride and Prejudice down on the vacant seat next to me and waited. Kids filed into the room, but still no Ben. My heart sank. Where was Ben?

Mike and Eric talked to me, but I was too distracted to remember anything. I think it was Homecoming related though. I tucked my left leg underneath me and sat on it. This gave me an elevated position to see over Mike and watch the door. Still no sign of Ben. I sighed.

The bell rang. No Ben. My stomach churned. I could feel my face fall. I wondered where he was. I had really been looking forward to seeing him again. Where the heck could he have been?

Just as I was about to give up hope, he waltzed in and handed the teacher a note. He then sat in the vacant seat next to me. He swiped my copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ off his desk and handed to me. Our fingers grazed one another and I could feel the depths of my soul stirring.

"I was worried about you," I said handing him a copy of our class notes from yesterday.

He took the pages from me, but let his hand linger on mine for a moment. "It's good to see you too."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mike and Eric sulking. I felt bad for them, I truly did, but I really couldn't figure out what to do for them. I had hoped that other girls would serve as a distraction and that they'd soon forget about me. Angela and Eric seemed be hitting it off, but Mike was the real problem. He wasn't so easily distracted.

"How was your trip?" I whispered as I let go of the papers.

"Good in many ways. And not so good in other ways," he sighed. "I still have some things I need to work out with my friends at lunch today, so I won't be able to sit with you at lunch today."

I was crushed. "But I haven't seen you all weekend."

"I know, but I think my friends are coming around to the idea of us. It'll be good for us."

I only nodded since Mr. Parker was giving me the eye. The only reason he allowed me to talk for as long as I had was because he probably thought I was explaining yesterday's lesson to Ben.

After class, Ben walked me to my next class, but I didn't see him again until lunch, and true to his word, he didn't sit with me. That made Mike and Eric happy, but curious. I noticed that a girl ate lunch with Ben. She was fawning all over him and kept giving me challenging looks.

"Who is the girl with Ben?" I asked Angela, but Jessica overheard.

Without even looking at the table, Jessica told me the girl was Lauren.

"You sure? You're not even looking."

"The girl with the long blond hair?" She peeled apart an orange.

I nodded.

"I saw her sit down with him earlier. What's she doing with Ben? And why aren't you with Ben?" She slipped a slice of orange into her mouth and sucked on the end.

I shrugged. "I don't know. He said he was going to sit with his friends because he had some things to talk about."

"Trouble in paradise?"

"I don't think so," my voice sounded funny. No one seemed to notice though. I looked at Ben and Lauren and watching them hurt. I could feel it in my chest.

"Leave her alone, Sparks. I'm sure it is nothing," Angela came to my rescue. "Besides. Ben and Lauren broke up ages ago, and she is going to Homecoming with Mike."

"All's fair in love and war," Sparks said.

I looked at Ben's table again and wished I hadn't. Lauren was shooting me the most warlike glare I'd ever seen. Nuclear blast had nothing on the heat coming from her eyes. I didn't like seeing the two of them together, nor did I like her challenging stares. She was up to something. And the fact that she and Mike were going to the dance together meant nothing. I knew Mike wasn't interested in Lauren. My stomach twisted. Lauren was still staring at me with malice, but she now wore a wicked little smile as if she knew of my discomfort.

Angela must have seen it too, "She really doesn't like you though, does she?"

"I guess not."

Luckily, Mike interrupted our chat with his recounting of our lake adventure. I'd never been so thankful for idle chatter before. The change in topic distracted those around me and talking with Mike actually helped me get my own mind off my problems.

The rest of the day passed with little interest. I actually immersed myself in my studies just so I wouldn't have to think so much about other things, plus if I didn't start to pay attention, then I'd get further and further behind. I needed to make efficient use of my class time.

After Physics, Lauren was waiting outside the classroom for Mike. She walked with us until she and Mike separated to head towards the gym. He had baseball and she had cheerleading. Mike was the first to leave which meant Lauren and I were alone. The tension between the two of us was so great that I was surprised that icicles didn't form from ceiling.

I opened my mouth to tell her to have a nice afternoon, but her chilly stare unnerved me and all I could manage was an awkward goodbye.

Like a tiger, she pounced. Her pretty little face harden like sun baked clay. "I'm not sure what your deal is, Bella, but this is _my_ school so you just need to back off."

"What?" I was confused.

"If you can't run with the big dogs, then get off the porch." One of her hands was on her hip, but the other was in my face.

I scratched my head as I tried to figure her out. I wasn't always the best at judging other people's emotions, to me she looked both mad and a little threatened. I took a step back from her and angled my foot so that I was still facing her, but could turn and leave. "Are you worried that I'm . . . competition? Is this some sort of challenge?"

"Just a warning."

"Thanks for the warning, but I'll have you know that I'm not afraid of a challenge and certainly not from you." I turned and walked away from her.

Even though I was smiling, I was trembling inside. I had no idea what had gotten into me. I wasn't usually this bold; in fact, I usually didn't speak to people and now I was going toe to toe with a pissed off cheerleader. Could the past get any weirder?


	9. Chapter 18 - The Kiss

Chapter 18 – The Kiss

Wednesday, September 23, 1987

Today, Ben was truly back – not just physically, but emotionally. He had called me in the morning to tell me to come in early so we could see one another. As fate would have it, the moment I stepped out of my car, I saw Ben walking down the next row.

"Ben! Ben!" I shut the door to my car with my hip and waved my hand over my head in an effort to seen above the cars and truck.

Ben paused and looked around, but like a hawk narrowing in on its prey, he targeted me with his eyes and smiled. He waved, but it morphed into a come-this-way gesture.

"Morning, Bella," he said once I joined him. He slipped an arm around my shoulder and led me towards the entrance. He took particular care to make sure that I maneuvered through the parking lot without tripping.

My heart melted in my chest the moment he said my name, but his touch brought my blood to a boil. He caressed my shoulder for a second with the tips of finger, but then one determined finger readjusted the strap of my backpack. The trail of his tender touch tempted me so. I had to fight my urge to seek out a kiss. I should have been embarrassed that he had to help me avoid tripping, but instead I was thrilled to have him so close to me.

"Good Morning," my voice was hoarse from both the early hour and from desire. Simultaneously, I massaged the front of my neck and cleared my throat. "How are you today?" The words came out clear, but laced with an undying urgency.

"Much better now that I have found you." He nuzzled the top of my head with his chin as we stepped up from the driveway and onto the sidewalk leading towards the school.

"Wait up, Bella. Wait up!"

We turned to see Mike and Eric walking across the parking lot. Eric wore an expression of fanatical gleam as he waved.

"I suppose it would be rude just to keep walking," I sighed so that only Ben could hear.

"Perhaps a little, but I'd understand." I could hear the smile in Ben's voice.

We only had a few minutes left before school started and I had hoped to spend it alone with Ben, but privacy is a luxury at school. I waited as the others approached us and politely greeted them.

The breeze way was filling up with other students now, but we still managed to walk four abreast down the covered walkway. Fumbling over topics of conversation, the four of us entered the institutional style building. Mike was better at gabbing and talked about some comedy show he'd watched last night. Eric and Ben laughed and laughed. The humor was lost on me since I had neither seen the show nor I was I completely versed in 80s culture just yet.

They looked at me as if wondering why I wasn't laughing. "Sorry, I don't watch much TV," I said as I thumped my book, "I read, remember?"

The lie wasn't entirely true. I did watch TV, but I hadn't watched much from this time frame. I'd been too busy lately to watch TV. My lips curled up at that thought. In the future, I'd spent most of my time immersed in stories – either from books or TV – but here in the past I was too busy. I actually had life now.

"What are you thinking?" Ben stroked the edges of my smile and I could feel myself blushing.

"Nothing," I lied. I did my best to clear my head and pay attention to my surroundings, but with Ben touching me it was hard.

The halls were crowded with students as we made our way to the commons where an even larger number of people congregated. The drone of voices reverberated off the bland walls that were covered with brightly hand painted pieces of butcher paper. Slogans like Beat Creek and Go, Fight, Win besmeared the cheap paper canvas. Honestly, the signs did nothing to incite school spirit into me though.

I groaned when I saw the morning's chaos and homemade banners.

Each of the four the brick columns were wrapped in layers of ribbons. Trinkets like bears, footballs, and Mardi Gras beads dangled from the midst of ribbons. Boys had gathered underneath collage and were jumping to see who could reach high enough to touch the ribbons.

Football players had a whole quarter of the commons to themselves though. Standing on chairs with their hands raised in the air, they were chanting and pumping their fists. Some were even dancing. A group of preps were gathered around them egging them.

Cheerleaders, meanwhile, were divided and separated into quadrants along every corridor. Their only tasks – to accost students with homecoming pins and flyers and to shout: Go Falcons!

I rolled my eyes as the scene played out before me. The school was alive with excitement today and all because of some silly appending game. I took in a deep breath and tried to ignore it all, but it was a futile effort. I couldn't block out the madness.

I cringed at the overwhelming display of school spirit. As we passed our first cheerleader, Eric shuffled his feet and crossed in front of me in an effort to get away. I nearly tripped into him, but Ben reigned me in the way he would a nervous horse. His thigh stiffened against mine and his arm and hand held onto me. It felt so nice too! I suppose I could have been mad at Eric. Cutting across me the way he had was dangerous not only to me but to those around me. But honestly, I didn't mind bumping into Ben, so I couldn't really be mad at Eric.

Eric mumbled an apology, but kept his head down. I wondered what his problem was. That wasn't like him. He was usually so self-assured. I noticed that his shoulders were drawn a little closer and he looked nervous. I was concerned about him, but didn't know what to say.

As we headed towards the commons, I did ask if he were okay.

He nodded, but his eyes darted towards the cafeteria. I followed his gaze.

It was packed to the rafters this morning. There was lots of animated chatter as if everyone was waiting for something important to happen. Excitement hung in the air like cheap drug store perfume that just won't dissipate. Even if we had wanted to, I don't think we could have found a place to sit.

"Let's just head to class," Eric mumbled as he avoided another cheerleader. He pressed his binder into his chest like a shield and kept his eyes glued on the floor.

Mike slipped an arm around Eric's shoulder, "They are not going to prank you, Eric. Lauren said the cheerleaders weren't pranking anyone from Chess Club this year and if they did, it wouldn't be you because we are friends."

"Oh my gosh! Really?! They do that? Prank people? That's terrible! High School is hell." I blurted out as I stared behind me at the fair headed, freckled faced cheerleader passing out pins.

"Tradition." Mike said.

"It's a stupid tradition," I insisted. My hands were clutched around the strap of my bag. I wanted to rip it off and pelt the bubbly blond in the freckles as she hugged one of the passing football players. I turned to Eric and patted him on the back. "It'll be okay. Won't it Ben? You'll talk with them."

"Lauren gave me her word. The cheerleaders won't mess with Eric," Mike promised. He muscled his way through the throngs of kids waiting in line to buy sodas from the vending machines.

"Then she won't," Ben agreed.

I wasn't so sure I trusted Lauren the way Mike and Ben did. For starters, I didn't even know her, so how could I trust her? And then I worried she might do something mean to Eric because he and I were friends. Being cruel to my friends because she didn't like me seemed like something a mean girl would do and for what I could tell, she was a mean girl.

"I'm just going to avoid those girls today," Eric said as he quickened his pace. "Get from one class to the other as quickly as possible. Stay in groups. Avoid my locker. That sort of thing."

"That's ridiculous."

"Don't make a big deal out of it, Bella," Ben said.

I balled my fist. For the first time, I wanted to punch Ben. "Don't make a big deal out of this? Eric is scared to walk anywhere near these girls. That's not right."

"Ben's right," Eric agreed, "Talking with them at this point could make it worse. Mike has already talked with them. Lauren has given her word. If we question them, they might get mad at us and the whole deal is off. I'm just avoiding them to be extra safe. It's only one day. Please, Bella. Let Mike handle this."

Mike nodded.

The bell rang like a warning.

My chest felt tight and my ears hot. If I were a cartoon, I'd probably have steam coming out of my ears in white puffy clouds.

I looked at Mike and then Ben. "Don't let anything happen to Eric or his friends."

"Yes ma'am," Mike replied with a friendly salute.

Ben gave me a gentle squeeze, but didn't reply.

We walked silently to class now that our mood had been dampened. I was still fuming. Eric slinked from cheerleader to cheerleader with his head down avoiding eye contact.

I tried counting to ten to calm down, but with each passing breath, I kept thinking about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Miss Bennett hated the silly restraints of the upper crust society and all their ridiculous rules – the story of class lines seemed oddly like high school cliques at the moment.

My anger took a turn for the worst when I noticed that straight ahead was Lauren, Ben's gorgeous ex-girlfriend. She blocked my path like a smiling man-eating sphinx. She was in my hallway. The one leading to my English class. This had never happened before. Our paths had never crossed like this. I wasn't liking this. I didn't want our paths to cross at this time; not when I was this mad. I wasn't sure I could just walk by without saying anything to her, but I knew I should for Eric's sake.

She dutifully passed out homecoming flyers to anyone within a five person radius of her. A smile as big as the Continental United States was plastered across her face. But anything that big had to be fake. She was dressed in her cheerleader uniform which was supposed to instill unity and school spirit, but in me, it induced a sense of inadequacy. I had to admit that she looked good even if she was evil incarnate.

Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail with a big red bow. She looked stunning. The short skirt showed off her supple legs nicely. Again, all I could think was that I just didn't measure up.

"Mike," she squealed and bounced up to him with her ponytail swishing from side to side. Her bright red lips were stretched into that phony large smile of hers. She handed him a flyer and then gave him a hug. "You look nice today."

Eric shied away from her, but she let go of Mike and reached out for him and then drew him into a forced hug. "We have a truce this year with the Chess Club, Eric. You have nothing to worry about."

"You think we can get that same truce for next year?" Eric asked.

She patted him on the back. "I think so. Times are changing. The whole cheerleaders pranking chess clubs, is so childish."

She then let go of Eric and drew Ben into a hug. As she hugged Ben, she glared at me with narrowed eyes.

She let Ben go and then handed me a flyer. "Homecoming is a busy week, Bella. I hope you will be able to make some of the activities." She didn't sound like she meant it. "And don't forget to wear school colors on Friday to show support for our football team." She hugged Ben again. "Our boys deserve the best," she said with an arm intertwined with Ben's.

"They do," I agreed, "But I think they also like a challenge."

I walked past her and towards my class.

Ben followed after me. "Something going on between you two?"

"Catfight."

Ben frowned, "Why?"

I shrugged past him into our class, "I think she still likes you. And she certainly doesn't like me."

He followed close at my heels, "Really?"

"Don't worry. I think she and I have an understanding."

He looked at me. "Girls are weird."

"You think?! That's why I don't usually do this sort of thing. Date. Or even talk with lots of people. It's too confusing. Books are much easier to navigate and understand."

Ben steered me towards a desk and took my backpack from me. He was such a gentleman at times. "Life doesn't have to be that complicated."

"Life is always complicated. Mine even more so . . . ." I lowered my voice, "I have told you things, and have decided that it was only fair my dad and the others know too. I think life is going to get pretty bumpy."

Ben nodded evenly and took my hand. Then in a lowered voice, he replied, "I understand. It is only fair. But you are right. It does complicate things for us though."

"It does," I agreed.

"But I'm not giving up on you." His voice was still hushed.

I sighed.

"Come on." He stood up.

"Where are we going? Class is about to start."

"Outside. I think we should talk."

"Now? We'll get in trouble."

"Just come on. It's Homecoming week. No one is going to get in trouble."

I doubted him, but reluctantly followed him outside anyways.

"What is it, Ben?"

People were still walking along the sidewalk, so he led me further away from the building and towards a series of oak trees that were in the midst of shedding acorns. Jessica and group of smokers were further down the lane in the smoking section at the back of the building near the woods. She waved at us and blew a smoky kiss in our direction. Gary was with her and spun in her into a full bodied hug as he grabbed her ass.

"Bella, I really like you." His voice was barely audible now as someone passed us by, "And it is not because of your magical powers."

I stared at him unbelieving. "Are you sure it's not?"

"You like me don't you, Bella?"

"You know I do."

"Even though. I have my own . . . issues?"

"Even though."

"Same." He was smiling at me. "We are partners in this. I'm not saying anything will be easy for us, but you and I are smart and tough. We will get through this together. Besides it's not like either of us are you know members. So why should it matter?"

"Because our parents are."

"That's their problem, not ours." He was now leaning against the base of a large oak and pulled me on top of him.

"Ben!" His words and his actions surprised me. I was resting on top of him now with his hands running the length of my hair. I felt as if I were on fire.

The warning bell rang. Or maybe that was my ears.

"Maybe we get our parents and even the other members together?" Ben pondered as he brushed the hair from my face. I could his feel his muscles ripple with his every muscle and body quivered in response.

"That would probably be a good idea. Work out a truce. But I don't know. Lots of secrets." My words were a little slurred and extremely hoarse. I was having a hard time focusing. He was so close to me and his presence was messing with my head. I couldn't concentrate. At this point I would have agreed to anything though.

"And traditions. But I don't want to give you up." His hand grazed my cheek and trailed down my jawline and onto the nape of my neck. His touch burned into my skin and again my body quivered. God, how I wanted him.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. They were soft, but powerful. His arms, so sure and solid, were around me now like a protective barrier. I wanted this. I wanted him. I grabbed his ponytail and pulled him closer. Our lips parted and it was as if the sky itself had ripped apart. I had to have more. We melted into one another again like rain into puddles as our lips met. My blood surged like lightning and my heart explode like thunder as I inhaled the subtle hint of his aftershave. I was dizzy now; spinning like a tornado out of control, but his arms circled me and kept me safe. I had never felt anything like this before. Ever. His kisses were harder, faster now. My body dissolved into his as the world around us slipped away, but the storm of our desire brew deeper within us.

I felt a tugging sensation on my arm that didn't seem right. But I was lost in the moment. The kisses kept coming. Faster. Harder. More persistent. And yet the tugging was still there. Still the kisses came – one after the other. One. Two. Three. The tugging grew more insistent however. Four. Five. Six. I felt as if I were caught now between two worlds. Seven. Eight. Nine. . . . The tugging continued until Ben at last pulled away.

Jessica and Gary were there with us now. Jessica's hand was latched around my arm. The tugging feeling remained a moment longer and then vanished as she released me.

"Either go to class or get a room," Gary manhandled Ben towards the school. The two were locked arm in arm. Ben looked as confused as me.

"We're all late now. Might as well skip," Sparks held up her half empty carton of cigarettes and shook them near my face. "Come on, Bella. I'll teach you how to smoke."

"No. I'm going back to class," I straightened my hair and headed for the door. The moment was ruined, but I was still longing for more. I looked at Ben. "Are you coming too?"

Gary said something crude and Jessica laughed.

I could feel myself flushing. I could only imagine what Gary had said. Then I still had residual longings. I wanted more kisses, but now was not the time. Still my desire was so strong it hurt - not a sharp pain, but a dull, throbbing pain – almost a yearning.

Ben shoved Gary and then hurried to catch up to me. We walked back to class in silence. The ghost of his kisses still haunted my lips and every step I took reminded me of his seeking touch.

Class passed slowly with him by my side as did the rest of the day without him. Lunch, while pleasant, was also a struggle. We sat together at lunch, but although we held hands, we didn't kiss. I couldn't keep my eyes off his lips though, and I wanted to cut every word off with a kiss. If anyone else sat with us, I wouldn't have known. I could only think of Ben.

"Bella," Ben squeezed my hand.

"I'm sorry what?" I was staring at his lips and remembering our kiss. My PB&J sandwich was pushed to the side untouched.

"I said let's get our parents together on Sunday for lunch or maybe dinner. Do you think your dad will be free?" He took a sip from his soda, and I could smell the sugar and bubbles as he replaced the can on the table.

"He's been pretty busy, but yes. I am sure we can make one of those." I traced my finger on the back of his hand.

"At my place?" Ben's hand rolled over and took my hand into his.

"Yes, if your parents are okay with that of course then."

Ben's lips coiled up into a wry smile, but his eyes narrowed and scrutinized me. He tapped the top of his can with a free finger, "Are you really listening to me?"

"Barely. But I am." I admitted, but then repeated, "Lunch or dinner. Your place. Sunday."

He smiled and then leaned in to kiss my forehead. His lips moved softly across my forehead and I heard him whisper. "I look forward to kissing you again, but in case you haven't noticed, the bell to dismiss us to class as already rung. It's time for us to go."

It was at this point, I realized that commons were nearly empty of people.

He took my hand and helped me up. We gathered our trash and tucked it into our paper sacks. He took my trash from me and tossed one after the other into a nearby trashcan. Both bags made it.

"You would have made a good quarterback."

"I'm alright." He took my hand into his again, "But I'm better at running towards something I want than I am at throwing things away."

I stared at him. He said the darnedest things.

"Come on. We're going to be late for another class," He led down the hall and we exited the commons together. "I will see you after school at the parade."

"I look forward to it."

"Me too!" He kissed me one parting time quickly on the lips.

It wasn't enough, but it would have to do.

Had it not been for Ben, I could have done without the Homecoming parade. Throngs of adults and little kids lined the street leading up to our school. The air smelled strongly of goldfish and apple juice and I was wondering if I were in a daycare. Ben led me further from the family section until we found a large group of teens who weren't participating in the parade. The cloud of smoke wafting off this group pressed us even further down the line. Eventually we meet up with Angela, Eric, and several other chess club kids.

"I'm glad to see you made it to the parade this year," Ben said.

Eric was all smiles again. "I think Lauren is really holding up her end of the bargain."

"It's brave that you are here," I smiled. "I'm proud of you."

"Only one way to find out if she really means to not prank us and that is by showing up. I have to admit it though, this parade is pretty lame. Not sure I would bother with it next year. It's more of a little kid thing."

Eric was right. The parade was a little disappointing. It was mostly just trailer loads of kids from different school activities throwing out trinkets and candy. The band and football players had to march because there were too many of them for trailers. The band played loudly as they marched while the football players threw out mini foam footballs. The cheerleaders, however, rode on firetrucks and waved their pom-poms. From time to time they would toss out buckets of candy to those of us watching.

Lauren threw candy at me. Hard. She pelted it at me like she was a softball pitcher and the smile upon her face was pure evil.

I had to cover my face with my arms. "Ow! Does she play softball?"

"Are you sure about that understanding?" Ben asked. He picked a piece of candy out of my hair.

I lowered my arms as the firetruck passed. "I didn't say we trusted each other or would be nice. We just understood one another. And if we cross one another things could get ugly. She has her agenda and I have mine, but I think we'll be okay as long as we don't get in one another's way."

"What are you talking about?" He took me in his arms and swung me so that I faced him. I was aware of just how close we were. His hands were on the small of my back and I slipped mine around his neck and I twisted my fingers into his ponytail.

"I plan to keep you. She can have the other boys." I pulled his head towards my own.

He jerked his head back, "I'm a prize?"

"Aren't you?"

He laughed. "Girls!"

"Boys!" I said, but his mouth found mine and swallowed up anything else I had to say. And then we were kissing. His lips pressed to mine like pages of a book and his fingers traced the curve of my spine.

Eager for the rest of the story, I opened my mouth for more.

He pulled away. "Sorry. I can't help myself around you. But I suppose now's not really the time."

I nodded. Our friends were around us, but were politely ignoring us by watching the parade.

"But I'm glad that you want me too. And you have nothing to worry about with Lauren. She's not the one I want." He fondled my chin.

"I know," I blushed and cupped his hand with my own, "And at least she kept her word with Mike and didn't start anything with Eric."

"She's not really evil," Ben promised. His finger trailed the edges of my jaw.

"A cheerleader that's not evil? Is that even possible?"

He laughed as he removed his hand from my face. "It is in my time. I don't know about the future."

"Okay. They aren't all that bad in the future either. Like anything, it just depends on the person."

"I'm glad to see your prejudices are wearing off."

I didn't respond. I fingered the lyre charm dangling around my neck. Until Lauren, I'd never really interacted with a cheerleader. I'd never interacted with anyone really. Most of my time was spent lost in books. I only knew of people from books and often times those characters were archetypes. And in books, cheerleaders were usually the bad guys. Was I so prejudice as Ben thought? Was that fair of me? Maybe I did have a thing or two to learn?

"There you are, Ben."

"Hey, Robert. How's it going?" Ben let go of me to shake hands with a small boy with brilliant blue eyes.

"Bella, you remember Robert right? From the bowling alley?"

"Oh, that's right," I shook hands with the boy who was only taller than me because he had such thick, curly hair. His hand was cold and limp and it felt as if I were holding a dead fish.

He smiled at me, but he didn't look happy, "It's nice to see you again, Bella." The tone of his voice suggested otherwise.

He let go of my hand as quick as hiccup and turned to Ben. His eyes sparkled like sapphires as he spoke. "I know you are busy with Bella this week, but do you want to come over on Sunday and play Attari?"

"Sorry, Robert, but Bella and I have plans on Sunday. Maybe Monday?"

The light went out in Robert's eyes. I could see it even in the daylight. "Oh. . . . Sure."

I nudged Ben with my shoulder. "We won't be together all day on Sunday. Maybe you can go over for a little."

"Maybe. But I think it's going to take longer than you think."

"What is? What are you two doing? Maybe I can join you? Like bowling?"

"We are trying to make plans to have our parents meet?"

Robert's eyes got big. "Really?" His voice squeaked and hit octaves that only dogs should hear, but then he lowered his voice and pulled Ben aside, "Do you think that's such a good idea?"

"I do," Ben faced Robert and pulled out a packet of gum from his pocket. He offered a piece to me and Robert. I declined. After the last time I tried a piece of Juicy Fruit, I wasn't so sure it was the flavor for me – although everyone around me seemed to love it.

As the two boys talked cryptically with edged tones, I wondered what was going on.

Robert was acting so strange that I studied him for the first time. He kept his distance from me as if he feared I'd curse him or something. His eyes also shifted from emotions as he looked from Ben to me. He pulled at the sides of his thick auburn hair as if his fingers were trapped and he shifted his weight from side to side.

It hit me. Robert was afraid of me. Then it really hit me. Robert was like Ben. He was a were-ape. I wasn't sure, but that had to be it. Hadn't he told me at the bowling alley that their families were really close and that they'd grown up together and that they were more like cousins than friends and didn't they often enjoy the outdoors together? Including camping at Ben's ranch? The more I thought about it, the more I'd stake my life on it. Robert was like Ben.

"I'm worried about you, Ben," Robert said as he twiddled the piece of gum between his fingers. The foil was peeling back at the edges, but Robert still moved the stick of gum like it was a sticky secret that needed to be discarded. "You haven't been making the best decisions."  
I could see anger flash across Ben's dark eyes like a nuclear blast. His fists balled into white orbs that throbbed as blue veins popped up like measles. "Don't you-"

"Hello, boys," a strong males voice cut in, and a large, powerful hand that looked like an older version of Ben's clamped down on Ben's own shoulder. I followed the hand with my eyes and looked into the face that could only be Ben's father. He was tall, dark, and handsome, but older and more . . . raw. He looked more like a charcoaled sketch by Da Vinci than he did an oil painting by Michelangelo.

"Dad?!" Ben's voice warbled out of control.

Ben's dad patted Ben on the shoulder and then reached out his hand to shake Robert's hand. "Good to see you, Robert."

"You too, Mr. Gibbons."

"And this must be Bella?" His eyes were guarded as they clearly appraised me, but the smile was genuine enough. "I've _heard_ so much about you."

He then let go of both boys and clasped both hands around my own as he shook it warmly. "It is nice to finally meet you in person."

"Speaking of that, Dad," Ben said.

"I thought we could have dinner or lunch at our place on Sunday. With Bella and her dad."

Ben's dad stroked his chin as he looked at Ben. His eyes were deep and calculating. I swear I could see the gears turning inside his head as he processed his son's question.

Then quick as a blink he replied, "Sure. Sounds great. Either will work. Just let us know. I'll let the two of you work out the details."

"And I'd like to have Bella over for dinner tomorrow first."

This was a shock to me.

Ben's dad didn't even bat an eyelash. "Of course."

Robert glared at Ben, but he didn't say anything. But clearly Robert didn't think this was a good idea. I wished Robert didn't dislike me so much. I wanted Ben's friends to like me. But somehow at least one of his friends didn't like me, and I'd made an enemy with his ex. Real life High School was every bit as challenging as books portrayed them to be. But at least books were safer and couldn't hurt you. Again I wondered why I'd even bothered to look up from my books in the first place, but then I looked at Ben and was glad that I had. Ben made life worthwhile – no matter how complicated.

Ben smiled. "Great! Dinner, Conversation, and Friendship."

"Sounds like you have a plan." His dad smiled, but his eyes were locked.

"I do." Ben smiled even bigger and his eyes were fresh and full of promise.

Robert folded his arms, but as someone accidently knocked into him, his arms parted.

The parade was drawing to a close and the crowd was starting to press towards the school parking lot where an outdoor pep rally was being held. The music from the band could be heard over the gentle hum of conversations surrounding us. We followed the crowds for a while until I noticed that we were slowly separating from friends and then family and then students all together. Ben was leading me towards the woods.

"I wanted some alone time with you if that's okay." His arm rested on my shoulder like a favorite blanket.

"Of course!" I tried to keep my voice in check, but it was of no use. There was no question about it – I was excited to be alone with him. It was what I wanted more than anything. I'd dreamt about it all day long.

Our feet fell into a rhythm as we walked from the sidewalk onto a path that was well worn into the grass. The afternoon was quickly fading as a hint of twilight spilled across the sky like a powder through water. Cicadas tittered announcing the appending arrival of night fall. The woods were sweet with pine this time of year and acorns rained down on us we passed under the large oaks surrounding our school and the encroaching forest.

We passed the smoking section, and even though the smokers had long since left for the day, the smell of burnt cigarettes lingered.

"It's been a long day," Ben said as he caressed the edge of my shoulder.

"It has," I nuzzled my head against the side of his shoulder.

He gave me a gentle squeeze. "I've been wanting to steal you away all day."

"Then why didn't you?"

Our feet slipped from dirt onto grass as the forest expanded around us like a wall to a secret garden.

"I still have things to work out with my kind," he stopped and spun me into his arms. We stood at the edge of the woods on the brink of a kiss. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Besides kissing you?" I reached for his ponytail and set his hair free.

He took my hands and pulled me into the woods. We were running now and deeper into the woods. Giggling and tripping over our feet and tree roots, Ben and I lost ourselves into the protection of the forest. He found the base of a big tree and leaned me to it as he had earlier today. The heat from his body covered me. His hand slide past my cheek and came to rest at the base of my neck. Oh, the back of my neck! How did he know I was a sucker for that? His touch was tender, but left a blaze across my skin. My whole body warmed as if I'd sunk into a hot bath.

I titled my head back ever so slightly. His fingers caressed my neck and I was now so hopelessly his for the taking. I could feel blood rushing to my lips and I wanted him to kiss me. I slipped my hands around the base of his neck and drew him closer, but he untangled one of my arms and drew it towards his chest. He traced his fingers over my fingers and then ran them down the length of my palm only stopping when he reached my wrist. His fingers now circled the inside my wrist in small, gentle swipes.

I moaned. I loved how he made me feel!

He smiled and it covered his whole face with light.

"Oh, Ben," I sighed as I slid my free hand to cup his powerful jaw. I drew him towards me. I wanted him to kiss me again. And again. And again.

He wasn't done tormenting me though. He nuzzled his face in my hand, but resisted coming any closer. He still massaged my neck and wrist. I was so weak. I didn't think I could stand much longer even with the tree for support.

"Bella, you are so beautiful," Ben's voice was husky sounding.

I didn't trust myself to speak, I was that weak. I clung to him for both support and from a sense of primal urgency.

His lips found mine and his hair feel like a curtain around our faces – dividing us from the rest of the world. I could smell the crispness of his shampoo clinging to his silky hair. The stubble on his face brushed mine until it morphed into something more substantial, but softer. In that same moment, his hands went from smooth to furry. I opened my eyes and as he stepped back, he was all ape.

I could go into a full on description of what he looked like, but basically he looked like a dark furred bigfoot – except for the eyes. His eyes were entirely his own, but they were round and startled.

He was as stunned as I was.

"I'm sorry. This is never happened to me before. Not like this. When I'm angry yes I've lost control, but this – never."

He clasped one furry hand and then another over his face. "Don't look at me. I'm hideous." He buried his face further into his still transforming paws. He turned away.

Following, I cupped my hands over his and tried to pry them from his face, but I wasn't strong enough, "No, you are not. Not to me. I still think you handsome."

He shook his head. "Bella, you should just leave." His voice was clouded with pain and embarrassment.

I took a step closer to him and stood on my tiptoes. I leaned into him and found a section of his cheek left uncovered from his hands. I kissed him on his furry cheek. "Ben. This doesn't matter to me. It doesn't freak me out. I like you – all of sides of you."

He lowered his paws and stared at me with watery eyes. "Really?"

"Of course," I took his blackened hands into mine and leaned in for another kiss, but stopped.

A pair of eyes came from the woods, then another, then another. I was surrounded now by apes. Two set of eyes looked familiar. Robert's and Mr. Gibbons.

"We need to talk with Ben. Please excuse us, Bella," Mr. Gibbons said as he approached his son with a powerful gait that was both human and animal.

"Like now?" Ben had his hairy arms wrapped around my shoulder now.

None of the apes said anything, but his father nodded.

I looked at Robert, but he looked away.

Ben sighed. He untangled his arms from my shoulder and took one of my hands. "Let me walk her back towards the school and then we'll talk."

I was crushed. I wanted to be with Ben so badly, but it seemed as if the universe had other plans for us. Neither of us said anything to one another, but I could hear his slow and steady breath. I sensed Ben was as upset as I was, but by the strength with which he held my hand, I sensed that he was determined to find a solution.

Ben walked me to the edge of the woods, but no further. "I'm sorry," he apologized again. He looked like a wounded beast and I wanted nothing more than to soothe his pain. "Clearly, the others still have more to say to me."

"Don't be sorry," I kissed his lips and ran my hand along the side of furry chin. "I'll see you tomorrow . . . unless you need to talk before that."

"Tomorrow then."

He turned and lolloped into the woods with giant gaits.

It wasn't the perfect ending to the day, but I had discovered even in his beastly form I wanted him. Our love did run deep. Or so I thought. Perhaps it was my strange condition that made all these feelings so strong in me, but I didn't think so. This seemed real somehow and right. We were both monsters of sorts and yet we loved one another. This had to be right. I just sensed it was. I just did.

I exited the woods and returned to the pep rally. I didn't really want to be there, but I would have to walk through the crowds as I returned to my car. I sighed as I felt the crowds thicken around me. I tried to tune out the loud band music as I pushed past the throngs. I wanted to be lost in my thoughts.

One of the football players backed up from the crowds and accidently stepped on my shoe. I nearly toppled head first into the crowd of football players.

"Sorry," the guy mumbled and stepped aside.

"It's okay," I gave him a weak smile and arched my eyebrows in an all is forgiven manner.

Lauren, however, spotted me now and waved her pom-poms at me. I nodded my head, but pressed toward my car. She called my name, and reluctantly I stopped.

She bounded up to me in pair of white Keds that seemed to have a life all their own. Her feet were constantly moving as if she were barely in control.

"Bella," she waved her pom-poms, but kept her arms at her side, "No one can tame Ben. He's sort of wild. That's part of his nickname. I'm the only person who has ever come close. I suppose that is why I'm so protective of him. I like him, a lot. That' not a secret. But his family and his close family friends demand too much of his time. So that makes dating him a challenge. Just know what you are getting into if you are going to date Ben. He is kind beyond words, but does have a temper and he has very little time for girls. He's usually too busy with other things. Don't expect too much for him. . . . And don't hurt him."

I looked at Lauren. "You think I would hurt him?"

"I don't know. I see how boys respond to you and how close you are to some of them. Like Mike and Edward. Especially Edward."

"Edward and I are just friends."

"Bella. I don't care. Just don't hurt Ben. You and I will never be friends, but if you hurt Ben. I will be your worst nightmare."

She turned on her heels like a cheerleader and stormed off. Her ponytail swished from side to side like a ninja sword. Then she turned yet again. She looked me up and down and scoffed.

"I don't see why someone as scrawny as you is attracting so much attention anyways," She sneered. "But _I'm_ number one on campus, understand? You threaten that, then you threaten me. You are probably nothing more than a flash in the pan – a novelty, but I'm the real deal here. Understand? And remember, don't hurt Ben or I will hurt you. Understand?"

I couldn't find the words to tell her that I wasn't trying to make boys like me, and I don't think it would have matter if I could. I merely nodded.

"Good. I would hate for something to happen to you." She twirled one final time and marched off towards the pep rally.


	10. Chapter 19 - Bella meets Ben's parents

Chapter 19 – Bella Meets Ben's Parents

Thursday, September 24, 1987

Dinner at Ben's parents.

Ben answered the door wearing khakis and a polo. He looked so preppy, but like everything, it suited him.

I smiled to see that we were once again both wearing gray. I had on a simple sundress and was worried that I might be under dressed, but before I could think about it any, Ben welcomed me in by grabbing my wrist and pulling me over the threshold and into his massive arms. He hugged me and breathed the top of my head. I took in his minty breath and relished in the delight of his warm, powerful weight. At that moment, I felt so protected.

"I missed you," he whispered. "I'm so glad you came." He let go of me just enough so that I was now nestled underneath his arm. The hint of Old Spice lingered on his shirt.

"Uh-huh," I mumbled as I took in the grandeur of his lakeside estate. His parents did have money.

His house was open, sleek, and pastel. It didn't exactly match his personality. I just couldn't imagine him in pastel.

"Nice place," I said.

"Its home."

Then he took my hand into his and led me through the white marbled foyer that had a white washed round table with a glass top and a huge pink vase shaped like a tulip that was filled with white roses. The flowers seemed fitting to someone who belonged to a society called the Order of the Rose, but the pink vase still seemed wrong. How could Ben feel comfortable surrounded by so much pink? And pale pink at that?

We walked into the formal living area that had some of the largest windows I'd ever seen framing the lake in the distance. Two white leather sofas with rows of oversized pastel pillows rested in the middle of the white marbled room facing each other like Sumo wrestlers squaring off for a match.

A tall, stately woman with chestnut hair neatly coifed into a sleek bob came from the kitchen. She looked as expensive as her 80s slick pantsuit. An even taller man with jet black hair followed.

"Mom, Dad," Ben slipped his hand to the small of my back. "This is Bella."

"It's so nice to meet you, Bella," his mom's voice was a little forced, but pleasant.

"Please come in and make yourself at home." The dad's voice had a bit of a bark to it, but his words were nice enough.

"Thank you," I replied as I twiddled an old ring I put on for just this occasion. I knew I'd be as nervous as a virgin in a prison yard, so I wore a ring just so that I could have something to do with my hands.

The atmosphere was tense. I knew that Ben's father wasn't thrilled I was here. I twirled my ring one final rotation and walked towards the kitchen.

 _I can do this_ I told myself. _There is nothing to be afraid of here._

Ben's mom stepped forward, wiping her hands across her apron, and then shook my hand. Something about her put me at ease. "What a lovely necklace!"

My free hand instinctively went to my neck. "Thank you. My dad just gave it to me – for my birthday."

"It is beautiful. Is it an antique?" She let go of my hand and she smoothed the edges of her apron.

Still fingering the necklace, I replied, "Yes. It's been in my family a while."

"It's the lyre isn't it?" Ben slipped his hand around my neck and touched the charm.

My insides trembled at his touch, but I tried tightening my muscles and took a calculated breath. I needed to stay in control. I was here not just to see him, but to make his parents understand just how much Ben and I liked each other and that we just wanted a chance to date.

"Yes."

Our fingers met.

"Do you play an instrument?" Ben's dad asked.

"No." I replied. "Not well anyways."

"Sports?" His dad asked.

Ben scoffed. "Bella's not exactly coordinated."

I shot Ben an evil look.

"I see," Ben's father looked disapproving.

"I told you, Dad, Bella likes books," Ben's arm was wrapped around my shoulder like a security blanket. "She probably knows every story on the planet."

I blushed. "My dad would read me a lot of fairytales while I was growing up. . . . that is before he and my mom split up."

Ben's dad's head jerked slightly, "fairytales?"

Reluctantly I nodded. The significance of the word fairytales wasn't lost on me, and I wondered now if I should have brought it up. I swallowed hard any further words that were stuck in my throat. The cat was out of the bag now. The Band-aid ripped off. I might as well own up to why we were here tonight.

"Mr. Gibbons, I've only recently learned these . . . things about myself and others. I realize that I have so much more to learn and am really a novice, but I don't understand why certain groups like the Grimm Brothers and The Order of the Rose can't work together? I mean we have vampires and Nephilims working together. Surely, you can-"

"Bella, you are right. You don't know things. And you should never know things," Mr. Gibbons put a stop to my speech. "And how your father of all people can work with that . . . that . . . that other society is beyond me. He should know better than to betray his own kind like that. The Grimm Brothers are dangerous. Too much knowledge is dangerous or can be if the wrong people get their hands on that kind of knowledge. See, some secrets should just be left alone . . . . should be guarded." Every muscle on Mr. Gibbons' body was tense, but his eyes, while set, were calm. I could see that he had great sense of self control, but then again, he probably needed it.

"Dad?!"

"I will not speak of this anymore tonight. Not to either of you. Just know that I don't approve of you two dating, and I shall be happy to discuss this with your father on Sunday, Bella. This is nothing personal, Bella. I'm sure that you are a perfectly lovely person, but you are, I am sad to say, all wrong for my son."

Ben took a step towards his dad, "Isn't knowledge power?"

Mr. Gibbons looked Ben in the eye for a moment and then turned and walked away, "I told you. I'm not discussing this with you. Now why don't you take her out back to watch the sunset? It should be lovely."

Ben put his arm around me and gave me a discreet side hug. "Well, that went well," he muttered just over his breath. I could feel his chest rise and fall with a deep, extended breathe.

Ben's mother walked across the room with a reassuring smile. "Everything will be fine, dear," she ran a hand down the length of his arm.

"Can't you talk to him, Mom?" Ben asked, his chest rose and fell again. Ben took my hand into his and then clasped our intertwined hands over his heart. "Bella won't hurt anyone of us. Her father wouldn't either."

His mother's eyes were watery. She dabbed the side of her right eye with the back of her hand. "I know you believe that, Ben. And I'm sure that Bella and even her dad do too, but your father is right about this. Accidents do happen and secrets get leaked. Above all though, the Grimm Brothers have no right to this information."

"What if my dad promises not say anything? What if I promise not to say anything?"

A tear spilled from the corner of her eye. She wiped it away with a finger, "I don't know, dear. Our secret has been compromised and action will be taken."

"Action? What kind of action?" I freed my hand from Ben's and reached out to her.

"That will be for the council to decide. And I'm not on the council so I have no idea what could or will happen. This sort of thing has never happened before that I'm aware of."

"And what do you think would happen?" I grabbed her arm without thinking.

She looked at my hand and then my face.

I let go and stammered an apology.

"We are a civilized race of people. I'm sure the council will meet with your father and come up with an arrangement."

"I don't like the sound of that," I muscled out from under Ben's arm and paced the room. "And if an arrangement can't be meet?"

Silence.

I repeated the question.

Ben's mom wrung her hands in her apron. "I don't know. Incarceration?"

"Mom?!"

Ben's mom threw her hands up in the air. "Don't look at me. What do I know? Nothing! This isn't my decision. It isn't even your fathers. But this could affect you too, Ben."

"Me?!"

I turned to look at Ben. Shock was splashed across his face like he'd had a pie thrown in his face.

His mother nodded and more tears sprinkled down her cheeks. "You could be considered an accomplice or in the very least an informant."

I went to Ben and took his hand.

Silence hung in the air like a net. I could feel the weight of the situation trapping us and pulling us under.

His mother wiped her face on the sleeve of her shirt. "You have gotten yourselves into a bit trouble, and I don't think your father or I can get you out of this. Do you understand now? This is serious. We want to help, but we can't. We have rules to follow and we will have to accept the consequences of breaking these rules. I don't know what the council has in mind, but I'm sure they will be fair and as just as possible. That is all I can hope for at this point. We are not monsters. In fact, we are very just, but we do have rules. And we have consequences if those rules are broken. The truth is out and there is nowhere left to hide. If the two of you continue to date, I think the council will consider it a bad sign and then they will react harsher. I don't think it is a good idea for either of you two to date one another."

"Mom-"

"Ben," his mother patted his arm. "We have to trust in our laws. They are what protect us from the real world. Now, no more talk of this. Your father is right. What has been done has been done. It cannot be undone. Enjoy yourselves for tonight at least and don't worry. I'm sure action will be taken, but am confident it will be fair. I'm sure an agreement can be made, especially regarding Bella and her father's unusual lineage. That can only help their case. Maybe things won't be so bad. But again I just don't know. But I do know that the idea of you two dating isn't such a good idea. At least not for the time being."

Ben opened his mouth, but shut it again.

His mother's eyes looked shattered as if they were ready to break. Her lips trembled as she held back tears. Seeing her this torn up and this worried made me sick to my stomach. What had I done? I'd messed up not only my life, but Ben's, his families', and my father's lives as well.

"I'm sorry," Ben gathered her into his arms and rocked her.

She bite back the tears, but clung to him for a moment. "The course has been laid. Just have to have faith at this point. We can't escape any of this. But somehow, I think it'll be okay. No one has acted yet, so the council must not view any of you as a real threat."

The two parted. His mother gave a Mona Lisa smile and patted his hand. "Go outside and enjoy your time together. I don't know what the future has in store, but enjoy the present."

Ben turned to me, "Sorry. This wasn't exactly fun."

I gave a cat-ate-the-canary smile. "We said it wouldn't be easy."

Ben's mother opened the windowed back door and ushered us out. She shut the door behind us and returned to the kitchen.

Ben and I stood on his covered back porch and looked at one another. My hands felt like blocks of ice and my stomach a snowy cavern. I shivered, but warmed slightly as Ben slipped an arm around my shoulder. "Maybe we should have kept our secrets to ourselves."

I nodded and then shook my head, "Secrets get out eventually."

He stroked the edge of my shoulder, "I don't know."

"Your mom is right. What is done is done."

"But that doesn't mean we just have to leave our fate in the hands of the council," Ben spun me in his arms. "We can run away."

I stepped out of his arms and walked towards the start of a flagstone path that wound its way to the water's edge. "Be serious."

I listened for Ben's footsteps, but heard nothing. But then he was there with his arms wrapped around my waist with his front pressed into my back. He rested his head on the top of mine. I felt his chest rise and fall and then the warmth of his breath trickle down the nape of my neck. His hands locked themselves into one another and rested on my stomach.

"I mean it. I would run away with you." I could feel his cheek nuzzle my hair. "We'll take your father and go into the future or into hiding here or any other time."

"Running away has never solved anything," I unlocked myself from him and stepped out onto the path.

He followed. He grabbed me by both arms and pulled me into his chest. "You love me don't you?"

"You know I do."

"Then let's do it. Run away. If not with your father, then just you and me."

"I have a feeling that the types we are dealing with would find us. I don't think we can run away. Besides, I couldn't do that to my parents. Could you really do that to yours?"

He looked down at his feet. "I don't know. But I do know that I don't want to lose you. I really have such strong feelings for you, Bella. You are perfect. I know we just meet and this is crazy, but I feel like we are perfect for one another."

I took his face into my hands. "I don't want to lose you either. And I feel the same way as you."

"If we stay here. That's exactly what will happen. The others will try to split us up. We will lose each other," Ben held my hand to his face. "I will be put away and maybe the same would happen to your father and you. I can't let that happen."

"Running away is not the answer," I insisted.

"Then what is?" His thumb caressed the curves of my cheek.

"I don't know, Ben. Talking to them. We will just have to make them understand that we aren't a threat and that knowledge is a good thing and that it can still be guarded. I'm sure the Grimm Society wouldn't use this information against your race."

Ben looked at me, "Bella?!"

I threw my hands up in the air in defeat. "So that's it. We're sunk."

Ben pressed his chest to mine, "I will do whatever it takes to stay together, and I won't let anything happen to your father," He then lowered his lips to mine and kissed me. It was a hard, desperate kiss. The kind that made me forget all my troubles. His arms wrapped me tightly as his one hand pressed into my back and the other stroked my hair.

I contoured my body into his and kissed him back with the same strengthen. At this moment, I wanted nothing more than to lose myself. I needed this release. I needed him. My right hand cupped the base of his neck and I felt the curtain of his hair on the back of my hand. His hair was soft and smooth like a kitten's fur. Even though I was fascinated by the texture of his hair, I was interested in something else. I wanted to feel his weight against mine again and to be swept up into his great big arms.

My other hand knotted his sleeve and pulled him even closer. Not even a sliver of paper could have passed between us. His lips were locked with mine as he melted into my body. His tongue swirled with my own alternating between gentle and urgent. My heart soared into my ears. He was kissing me like I'd never been kissed before. This was a kiss for the storybooks. A kiss that was filled with desperation and longing – the kind of kiss Cinderella and her prince charming must have shared the moment the clock stroke twelve – before everything was lost.

I disentangled myself from Ben and stared at my fairytale hero.

"What?!"

"I don't know," I walked away from him and towards the water. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep from falling apart. I wanted him so badly, but I was afraid. Afraid I'd get hurt. I wove through the oak trees that whispered in the setting sun. Twilight laced the air with the hint of a cold breeze. My sundress provided little protection and I shivered.

Ben was at my side once more. He wrapped his arms around me and I stopped shivering. I leaned into his body and sniffed in his cologne. Neither of us spoke as we walked towards the lake. He matched his steps to mine.

He nuzzled the top of my head with his chin. My whole body tingled in his presence. I didn't like it, and yet I loved it! I was conflicted though. I wanted to be with him so desperately, but knew that it was wrong. We were putting too many people at risk. I tried to think like Jessica and just go with it, that's what I wanted to do, but I wasn't Jessica. I was me.

We continued to walk in silence towards the murky water. Gentle ripples rolled across the lake's surface like fingers beckoning us forward.

Ben took my hand in his and led me to his dock. The dock was in fairly good condition, but sections of wood had started to crack and splinter. A few of the boards squeaked under the weight of our feet. A blue and white ski boat was perched on its lift, but was shielded from the elements by a tarp and an upper level deck. Ben helped me up the stairs and onto the second level. I was a little worried that I might trip, and I think Ben was worried too, but with his help I made it.

We stood at the side of the railing and looked out at the water. The sun was setting now and colors of pink and orange lit up the sky. The rolling water and brilliant hues should have made me happy, but they didn't.

"I've messed things up for us haven't I?" Ben wrapped his head in his hands.

I pried his hands away. "You did not. I think it is right that we shared these secrets."

"But now we are all in trouble," he leaned against the wooden rails.

I kept away from the sides as I paced the deck. Planks sank under my weight. I didn't like the sinking feeling. I was worried something would break and I would fall through. Plus, it mirrored my emotions just a little too well. "But we are together," I smiled weakly and shrugged. I'm not sure how or why I was suddenly so sure everything would work out, I just felt more confident when I was near Ben.

Ben's smile reappeared as he walked over to me. His arms, so sure and solid, scooped me into a hard embrace. He bend my head back with a hand until I was resting my head on his arm. I went limp at his touch. He took me in another kiss, and any troubles we may have had were left far behind. The world was spinning out of control, and I had no choice but to go with the flow. I lost myself in that kiss, and I hoped that I would never resurface again.

He groaned softly and then pulled away, "Ah, Bella. You are my own personal siren. Willingly, I follow you anywhere."

"And you are such a beast to bring that up," I pounded his broad chest with a fist, but it was truly a mock effort. I didn't believe a word of anything we were saying.

"Two more days. I want two more days with you all to myself and then we will work this bit of trouble out."

"Two more days? It might be too late," I replied.

"Then kiss me again you little minx."

Before I could say a word, his lips were on mine kissing my breath away. The sun set on us and darkness shrouded us, but the kiss burned brightly within me.


	11. Chapter 20 - The Football Game

Chapter 20 – The Football Game

Friday, September 25, 1987

The doorbell rang. I jumped from the kitchen table and flew to the door. My ponytail swishing side to side created a small breeze that seemed to only fan the flames burning within me.

"Where's the fire?" My dad called from the kitchen, but he cut through the dining room and joined me at the door.

I pulled open the door and there was Ben. Handsome as always. He had on a pair of high tops, faded jeans, and t-shirt that fit him like a glove. He looked like he'd just stepped out of the magazine as he leaned against the brick wall outside.

"Come in, Ben," I stepped aside. "This is Ch- my dad."

"How do you do, Mr. Swan," Ben straightened up and extended his hand in greeting.

Chuck took Ben's hand and they shook. "So, you are Ben."

"Yes sir." Ben took a step towards the door, and I noticed that he was a good two inches taller than my dad.

"It's nice to meet you," Chuck stepped aside and welcomed Ben into the house. My dad's voice was formal, but polite.

I stepped in between the two and gawked at the strange ribbon bedazzled item Ben was holding.

"What are you holding?" I tore Ben from my father and dragged him towards the living room. He was carrying what looked like a bizarre floral arrangement that had red, blue, and white ribbons dangling in the evening breeze.

My father shut the door behind us and the ribbons settled.

Ben smiled. "You don't know?" He then hid the arrangement behind his back.

I shook my head and stood on my tiptoes trying to see around him. Walking on my tiptoes wasn't too smart and I nearly tripped on the Mexican tile of our foyer.

Both my dad and Ben came to my rescue and ushered me into the carpeted living room.

"It's a homecoming mum. Don't you have those in the future?" He held up the big white chrysanthemum that had layers of colored ribbons dangling down the front.

I cocked my head and looked at the strange cluster of flowers and ribbons that Ben now held out in display for me to see. "A what?"

Ben snickered. "A Homecoming mum. Guys give it to their dates to wear at the game."

I could feel my eyes jump out of their socket, "I have to wear that?"

He nodded. "Like this," he leaned in and pinned the flower to the front of my shirt.

I was speechless. Sure, I was delighted to be in such close presence to my beloved, but I didn't know what to make of this strange flower now plastered across my chest like a billboard.

"Looks nice," my dad replied politely as Ben stepped back to admire the silly creation that was now pinned to my chest. Ben wore an ear to ear smile as he raked his eyes over me.

I still couldn't find words.

"Do you like it?" Ben asked me. His smile wavered.

Still no words.

"Bella?!" He waved a hand in front of my face.

I flustered and stammered a string of nonsensical words, but stood there motionless as I felt the weight of this flower tug at my shirt.

"I do like it," I said at last as I ran a hand across one of the silky ribbons. "Thank you."

My dad chuckled and walked further into the living room. "So? You have a moment before the game, Ben?"

"Yes, sir," Ben straightened up again. And put on an I'm-trying-to-be-a-perfect-gentleman expression.

"Come and sit down then," Chuck had his hand resting on the back of a very old, but still in good condition couch.

"Yes, sir," Ben repeated.

We all walked through the shag carpet and around a set of green and brown stripped sofas. Chuck took one and Ben and I sat in the other. The sofa was made from crushed velvet and was very soft. When I was little, I used to snuggle my face against it. The fabric was still holding up today and it made me realize that my dad must not have much company.

Ben and my dad chatted while I felt a little sorry for my dad. Then I heard the topic of Sunday come up. I tuned back in to hear Ben invite Chuck to dinner on Sunday and my dad accept.

My dad stood back up, "Don't want to make you late for the game. You two have fun. And take good care of my Bells, young man."

"I will, sir," Ben promised. His voice a little shaken as if somehow my dad could be threatening.

"Thanks Ch-dad," I said as I pushed the ribbons aside so that when I stood up I wouldn't rip them off my shirt. I suspected that this homecoming mum was going to be a tricky little thing to maneuver with. I feared for my life. I had enough trouble getting around and didn't need to now worry that ribbons were going to get caught on something and either tear off or rip a hole in my shirt.

I fussed with my mum the whole way to the game, but once I got to the stadium, I had a whole list of other things to worry about. Like how the game was loud and crowded and one big tripping hazard. Football players grunted and yelled as they did jumping jacks on the field as warm ups. Cheerleaders with megaphones chanted fight cheers while the band blasted note after note into the stands. The drill team in their brilliantly white cowboy hats danced along the side lines to _All She Wants To Do Is Dance_ by Don Henely. The constant drone of crowds, however, was perhaps the loudest constant.

The noise was unnerving, but it was the sheer number of people in tight quarters that worried me. I did my best to stay balanced, but I wobbled a few times as people bumped into me. Ben was the perfect guide and was there to catch me when I nearly tripped over the stairs.

Ben handed a middle aged mom with too much pink eyeshadow our tickets and she ripped them in half before handing them back to us. We filtered into the stands with the rest of the mob and looked for seats. I was jostled around, but Ben steadied me as he kept his arm around my shoulder for support.

I gathered the ribbons to my homecoming mum and pressed them to my stomach. The satin ribbons were soft, but slipped through my fingers like water. I was worried they'd catch on something. I noticed other girls wearing homecoming mums and many of these girls were circled like covered wagons and were oohing and aahing over the flowery masterpieces. I was sure that this was some sort of cruel prank, but when I saw other girls at the game wearing them, I realized that the tradition, however bizarre, was in fact real.

Even though I was from a hundred years in the future, the whole event wasn't too different from my high school football games. Not that I'd been to that many, but I'd been to my fair share. The crowds were the same, the people the same, even the songs the band played were the same. But to top it off, the smell was the same. To me, football games smelled like popcorn and locker rooms. Not a pleasant smell. But then maybe that was just because I couldn't appreciate the event.

Tonight the smell was intense. If fish could sweat, that's what it smelled like. Perhaps the weather in Houston here didn't help the odor of the football field. While the weather was cooling now, humidity still clung to the air only increasing the heat and smell.

I wiped a bead of sweat off my forehead and tried to ignore everything around me and just focus on walking.

Every step I took rung and I soon discovered that I not only had ribbons attached to my flowers, but a cowbell too.

"Why is there a bell on my homecoming mum?" I lifted the ribbon that had the noisy bell attached to the end and showed it to Ben.

"So you can make noise at the game."

"As if there isn't enough noise?"

Ben grabbed my hand from the homecoming mum and the ribbons spilled down my side like a silken waterfall. "Let's go sit at the top."

"But our friends are that way," I pointed towards a section of seats near the band.

"Exactly," Ben led me up another two steps.

"I thought this was a group thing," I pulled my weight back slowing our progress, but not stopping it.

Ben was the one to stop, "Is that what you want?"

"No," I admitted with a sly smile and leaned forward again. "You are right."

Ben smiled and started up the stairs again with me dragging along behind him. We found a spot in the back just like he wanted and sat down. My hand was still in his and we settled in next to one another. Even through my jeans, the metal bleachers were cold at first, but with Ben beside me, the seats warmed up like sidewalks on a Texas summer day. "This is nice. I haven't been to one of these in a while."

"You haven't?"

"Normally, I'm playing remember?" He traced the top of my hand with his. My blood boiled at his touch and I had a hard time concentrating let alone framing my words.

"Oh right. Sorry."

"Don't be. I did it to myself."

"Do you miss it?"

"No, I've been too distracted."

"Too distracted? By what?"

He stroked my chin with his free hand. "By you," his last word was placed upon my lips. And then we were kissing.

His lips were soft against mine, but there was a pressure to the kiss. My lips bloomed like a flower as his kiss become harder. Every muscle in my body melted, but my heart raced faster and harder than ever before.

"Oh, isn't that sweet," Lauren was there shoving a program in our face. "Our school's cutest couple."

Ben parted from me, but my lips still tingled from the ghost of our contact.

"Thanks," Ben's voice held a tone of annoyance as he took the program from Lauren. "Hey, Lauren. Where's Mike?"

"He's sitting by the band, but since I'm a cheerleader I'm supposed to be passing out programs before the game." She looked at Ben as if he were an ice cream Sundae. She stood on the balls of her feet and bounced a little. All the right parts of her jiggled and I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of her flawless beauty.

Ben tapped a finger to his temple. "That's right. Programs. Work."

"Got more of these to hand out," she held up the stack of booklets. "Good seeing you. Bye-bye."

Lauren left without so much as a glance at me.

"Where were we?" Ben leaned in towards me, but I nudged his shoulder and then pointed towards the stairs.

"What?"

"We've got company," I pointed out. His friends Gary and Robert were approaching and Jessica was them.

Sparks bounded up the steps and her cloud of hair bounced with each of her steps. Her black tank top was two sizes too small, but yet still looked great on her as the fabric molded to her curves. I noticed several heads turn to appraise her.

"Oh, Bella. Your mum is so cute?" Sparks pressed past Ben and slide in between us. Her lipstick was a shade too bright, but with her personality she made it work.

"My what?"

"Your mum. Your homecoming mum." She held up hers to illustrate what she was talking about. The ribbons inked from her fingers like color from a fountain pen.

"Thank you," I said as understanding dawned. "I like yours too."

"You should. They look almost identical. The boys must have gotten them from the same place." She let go of her mum and the ribbons flowed down her chest like a Willie Wonka waterfall.

"Mmm," I smiled and folded my hands on my lap.

"Oh, were you wanting to sit next to Ben?" She feigned ignorance as she leaned back against the chain linked guard rail. The fencing rattled under her weight. She giggled and nudged me with her shoulder. "Just playing with ya."

Then quick like a bunny, she hopped up, stepped around me, and plopped down onto the metal bench on my vacant side. Her feet barely touched the ground as she leaned back once more. She fluffed her massive hair that probably took up an entire bottle of hairspray.

Gary sidled through our feet until he was sitting beside Sparks. No sooner had Gary sat down than Jessica twisted in her seat so that she was leaning against me with her legs draped over Gary's legs.

"Yum! You are a tasty treat!" Gary's voice was gruff and he placed his hand on the inside of Jessica's thigh just above her knee.

Jessica giggled and leaned forward. She grabbed Gary by the neck and kissed him.

Robert shifted nervously as he gave me a half scowl. His blue eyes looked more like flint than glaciers. Stumbling a bit, he cleared his throat as he sat by Ben. His eyes were still shooting daggers at me as he pulled a flask out of his boot and unscrewed the top. Even two seats over I could smell the alcohol. Robert's eyes narrowed into hard points as he stared at me and took a swig of his drink.

I looked away. Robert was being a real jerk and I'm sure drinking wasn't going to improve his mood.

I could hear Robert now offering Ben a drink.

"No thanks," Ben replied.

Jessica pulled away from Gary's embrace and giggled. "Sorry," she ran a finger across Gary's lips and removed as much of her lipstick as she could. She eyed Robert's flask and pouted as she waited for Robert to offer her something to drink. He never did offer her anything and I could see the signs of annoyance spread across her face.

I looked over at Gary who was busy running his hands up and down Jessica's thigh. Suddenly, I realized that he wasn't on the football field. I scratched my collar bone. "You're not playing tonight, Gary?"

"Protesting," he informed me.

"Is it working? Or are you just losing out?" I peered down the line past Jessica and into Gary's approachable face.

"It's working. Didn't Ben tell you? He's back on the team starting next week."

I looked at Ben. "Really?"

Ben nodded.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"His lips were too busy doing other things, Bella," Sparks joked. "Speaking of that. I'm gonna lit up. Wanna come with me to the smoking area?" She jutted her chest out and batted her eyelashes.

"Sure," Gary replied. He stood up and draped an arm around Jessica's shoulders. His hand was dangerously close to her breast, but she didn't seem to mind. In fact, I swear she angled her body even closer to his hand.

"Later losers," Sparks pulled out a carton from her purse and thumped it on her hand as she traipsed down the metal stairs.

Gary must have found her breast because Jessica giggled and then bumped him with her hip. "Gary, stop it." Her voice said otherwise.

I turned back to Ben. The metal of the bleachers pressed into my thigh like a safe full of secrets. "Are you really back on the team?"

"Yes. I just got the call today. Sorry I haven't told you yet, we've been busy talking about other things." He took his finger and rubbed lightly behind my ear.

I wanted to melt, but Robert's sour presences damped my mood as he attempted another sip from his flask, but only succeeded in sloshing drink down the front of his shirt. His navy blue Clear Lake Falcons Football shirt hid the spill nicely. He patted his shirt and then shrugged.

Robert folded his arms and leaned in towards Ben. He spilled his drink onto the vacant seat next to him, but didn't even notice. His lips quivered as if he couldn't figure out how to work them, but his eyes were working all too well and were focused on me. In a voice just loud enough for me to hear, he whispered. "See, Bella. You should just leave Ben alone. You don't even know what is going on in his life." His words were slurred out on rum and coke infused breath. He stoppered his flash and shoved it back into his boot, but his eyes never left mine.

Quick as a flash, Ben stood up with white knuckled, blue veined fists. "Bella and I are couple. Accept it or you leave."

Robert stood up with balled fists too. He teetered a bit, but with great amount of concentration on his part, he regained his composure. He was so much smaller than Ben, but his face showed just as much determination. His eyes looked like icebergs as he spoke, "Fine. I'll leave. But you are making a mistake, Ben. One that you will regret." This time each of his words came out crystal clear as if the severity of the situation had sobered him up.

As Robert descended the steps, I stood up and slipped a hand over one of Ben's fists. I rubbed small circles across his skin and could feel the taut muscles relax with each pass. "Do you think he's right," I whispered, "Are we making a mistake?"

Ben scooped me into his arms and crushed me to his chest. "Not at all," his lips found mine and he kissed me hard, as if he were determined to lose himself in me.

I happily complied. For that moment, nothing else mattered. Nothing else existed, but the two of us. We may have stood in a world of shattered secrets with enemies that hated and feared us, but our love was a unifying force that was entirely unbreakable. Together we were unstoppable.

Besides Ben had promised he'd work things out, but until then he wanted these next two days with just me. This day was almost over and we only had one more day left. I just hoped we'd work things out, but as we kissed I drifted further from this world.

 _True Faith_ by New Order played in the background and I thought how appropriate. Ben and I needed true faith in our lives. We had love. Now we just needed a little faith.


	12. Chapter 21 - The Dance

Chapter 21 – The Dance

Saturday, September 26, 1987

The dance. What can I say? The Homecoming dance was like any other typical high school dance. Girls spent hours at the salon getting their hair and makeup done and wore pretty dresses made of shiny material. The boys spent a total of thirty minutes shaving, showering, and dressing. Many of them had mismatched socks and most of them looked silly in borrowed suits and ties that were too big for them. Ben, of course, was the exception. He filled his suit out a little too nicely! I cringed every time a girl looked his way. I could see the desire in their eyes. I hated that I was jealous, but I couldn't help it.

"They did a nice job decorating this year," Ben said as he walked me over to the snack table that was covered in white linen cloth. His hand grazed my bare shoulder and I was now so happy that I'd chosen a strapless dress. The touch of his skin on mine was delicious. I couldn't think of anything other than him, but then he added. "So what do you think?"

I gazed head back over my shoulder to see what he'd meant. I'd been spending too much time noticing the other girls notice Ben that I hadn't paid attention to the gym.

The gym's ceiling was covered with red, white, and blue streamers and I wondered how people got up that high. Christmas lights were tapped to the wall in a crooked pattern. Cutouts of famous Parisian landmark's lurked in the corners.

"Mmmm," I replied.

"But of course nothing looks as nice as you," he swept me into his arms and bent my head back. His hand caressed the nape of my neck and I could feel the world spinning. If it weren't for his arms, I would have crashed to the floor. His head lowered towards mine. I waited for what seemed like an eternity to be kissed. One Mississippi. His hot breath washed past my ear. Two Mississippi. His other hand cupped the side of my face. Three Mississippi. The hand on my neck slid to the other side of my face. Four Mississippi. Our lips met. I stepped towards him in an effort to greet him. Five Mississippi. Our lips pressed together like grapes into wine. Six Mississippi. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled myself closer. I lost all sense of time now as I melted into him.

I felt a brief jolt and then our lips parted. I was swooning now as our lips parted, but I leaned into his body and relied on his strength to keep me from falling. His lips tasted salty like pretzels, but were warm and soft like freshly baked cookies.

For a moment I was confused, but then I noticed Robert. He was standing beside us with almost as a baffled expression as my own.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to bump into you," Robert said, but he looked more disappointed than sad. He then pointed towards a group of Ben's other friends. "They pushed me."

Some of the boys covered their mouths with their hands, but two of them were laughing out right as they doubled over in their mirthful fit. The loudest boy had a laugh that sounded more like the honk of a goose than it did a human laugh. It was a strange sound coming out of a teenage boy and it just made the other boys laugh even harder.

Ben didn't reply, but took me by the hand and led me to some seats in the corner and as far away from the dance floor and action as possible. A few wallflower types lingered in our area, but as we approached, they scattered like petals to another corner.

Ben offered me a seat and I took it. The metal folding chair squeaked under my weight and I wondered just how old the chair was. It was rusted out on one side and the other barely had any paint left. As Ben took the seat next to me, I forgot all about my chair and was once again studying the ebony hue to his long, full hair.

"Sorry. High school dances are juvenile, but they can be fun."

I screwed up my face.

He laughed and then swept a hand through the air, "No, really. Look."

I scanned the crowd. Most of the girls were clustered in groups dancing while the boys were in circles rough housing. I wondered if and when boys and girls really did mix.

"Sure fun!" Then I looked at Ben. His smoldering eyes regarded me with open fondness. Beaming at him, I replied, "I take it all back. Any place is fine as long as we are together."

His smile was reward enough, but he took my hand and gave it squeeze. "I have your birthday present."

I dissolved at his touch and stammered, "Ben I told you-"

"That is wasn't a big deal?"

"No, I was going to say that you didn't have to get me anything."

"And I told you I was," he replied. He slipped a hand into his jacket's pocket and pulled out a card and a small box.

"It isn't much, but I hope you like it," he wore a sheepish smile as he handed me the card first.

 _Gosh, dang, he looked so cute_! I wanted another kiss so bad! I couldn't help it. I was just drawn to the boy – the way Juliet was to Romeo.

He looked at me with encouraging eyes as he waited for me to accept his offerings.

I took the card first. I unfolded the tucked in edge of the envelope. Slipping the card out of the envelope, I sneaked a peek at him. His broad smile held and expectant look. Curiously, I opened the card and then gasped.

"What?! Did I get something wrong?" Ben leaned forward.

I shook my head and tried to find the right words, "The poem."

Ben tilted his head in question. "What about it?"

" _She walks in Beauty like the Night_."

"By Lord Bryon."

I nodded then laughed. "I thought of this poem the first time I saw you."

Ben laughed and clasped a hand on my knee. "So, we don't have a song, but we have a poem."

I laughed and fanned myself with the card. "Do you I get the present now?" I pointed at the small box resting in his hand.

"Sure," he handed it over and watched my face as I unwrapped it.

"It's from Tiffany's," I stammered fondling the blue box, "Ben, you shouldn't have. That's too expensive."

He looked at me as if he knew I was going to make a big deal out of it. "Just open it."

I opened the box and inside I found a charm bracelet with three charms. A book. A swan. And a monkey. "Ben," I smirked.

He laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

I shoved him with my shoulder, but he didn't budge.

"Let me put it on," he took the bracelet from me and slipped it around my wrist. His hands were smooth, but yet strong. Goosebumps popped over my skin like a rash and I ached with an inner longing. Taking the card from me, he slipped it back into his pocket, "I'll hold on to this for you."

I balled up the wrapping paper and Ben took that from me and stuffed it inside the box. He then shoved the box into his pocket as well.

The music blared now. It was loud. The _whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_ beat from the DJ's speakers thumped my chest or maybe that was heart. With Ben so close, I couldn't really tell what was real or what was fantasy.

The crowd inside the gym had doubled. Half the school was in the center of the gym now dancing to _You Spin Me Right Round_ by Dead or Alive. I thought about asking Ben to dance, but I didn't have to. As soon as a slow song came on, Ben took my hand and led me to the dance floor.

The DJ was playing Foreigner's hit song _Faithfully_ and as my hand was locked into Ben's hand, I thought _Yup. I'm hopelessly and forever faithfully his._

"You look beautiful," he whispered into my ear as he slipped his arms around my waist.

"Thank you," I replied. I draped my arms around his neck and fingered his long hair, "And you look handsome."

His chin nuzzled my cheek, "And you smell nice. What is it?"

I shrugged, "Dunno. Channel? Shampoo? Toothpaste?"

"Mmm. All sounds nice," he groaned deep in his throat. His fingers ran the length of my spine and then he dipped me.

For a moment all the blood rushed to my head, but his smile edged closer as he straightened me up right and back into his chest. We were so close now that I could feel his sweet breath on my cheeks. The warmth between us grew with each beat of my heart. My blood was going wild as it raced through my body like a cheetah on the hunt. He was so close to me that I could smell the hint of his _Old Spice_ aftershave. I pressed myself against his powerful chest. His hands grasped my back and drew me even closer. His body, so entwined with mine, swayed to the soft flow of the music. Our feet were in perfect sync now as we floated across the dance floor.

"See, Bella, dances aren't so bad," Ben whispered into my ear. His lips grazed my lip and I shivered under his touch.

"You were-"

He never found out what I had planned to say for his mouth was around mine capturing me in a kiss. His tender lips pressed gently at first and then his mouth roamed at will as his lips pressed hard onto my own. He then pulled away, but brought his fingers up to trace a feathered line across my lower lip. "Ah, Bella. It is so hard not to kiss you. But I suppose I should be more discreet."

I couldn't speak; his finger still lingered on my lips.

"I wish you could realize just how beautiful you are," his fingers and thumb slipped down to my chin. "And desirable."

I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks. I let go of his neck and pushed his chest with both hands. "You are embarrassing me."

"Sorry," His hand found my waist again and he spun in circle. His warm arms kept a constant hold on me and I was never once in jeopardy of falling. Well . . . physically falling. I was after all falling deeper in love with Ben.

The song came to an end and was replaced by something with more tempo. _Safety Dance_ by Men Without Hats.

A group of girls beside me gave out a high pitched squeal and shouted. "OMG. I totally LOVE this song. Haven't heard it in ages."

He looked at me. "Still up for dancing?"

I nodded. "Just stay close in case I fall."

He laughed. "I would never let you fall."

I looked into his warm, dark eyes. He was such an angel. I knew exactly what he meant. He wasn't talking about the dance anymore. I wanted to correct him. To tell him not to worry about not being able to protect me. But I couldn't find the words. Secrets were unraveling faster than a kitten with a ball of yarn, and we were somehow the ones being tangled up in centuries of deceit. All Ben and I could do was tread water and wait for the sharks to make their moves.

"What are you thinking about, Bella?"

"Nothing," I lied. "But I am glad that I decided to do this homecoming thing after all. It has been a fun week."

 _I just hoped that we hadn't made a mistake_. I thought to myself.

The night speed by faster than an electrical guitar solo. Couple after couple left the dance until only a handful remained.

Gary and Sparks kept close tabs on me and Ben. And if they weren't around then Eric and Angela were. So much for any more alone time. But it didn't matter much. I found that I enjoyed myself more than I thought I would.

As the dance finally came to an end, Ben drove me home. He walked me to the door with his arms around me. The porch light was on, and I stood on my tiptoes as I listened at the door to see if Chuck was there. Ben touched the side of my face and I turned to face him. I waited for Chuck to open the door on us, but he didn't. Ben seemed to be waiting too. He then leaned in and pecked me on the check.

"Good night, Bella," his voice was low and primal.

I checked my watch. It was nearly eleven o'clock. "Ben," I leaned in close and kissed him on the cheek. "Drive home carefully."

He nodded and then we both looked expectantly at the door. Still no signs of Chuck.

He then leaned in one last time and kissed me quickly on the lips. "Bye," he said and then bolted for his car.

I watched him go for a moment and then turned to face the door. I unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was only after I closed the door and turned off the porch light that I realized just how tired I was. It had been a long week.

I padded across the tile floor in the dark and threw my purse onto the closest sofa. Still no Chuck. I frowned. That seemed out of character. I walked over to the wall and fumbled my hand over the wood paneling looking for the light switch.

The moment my fingers flipped the switch, a female voice called my name from the kitchen.

I screamed, jumped, and turned in one fluid motion. Sitting at my kitchen table were Alice, Jacob, and Edward.

"You scared the crap out of me! What is going on?" I asked as I approached them. "Is my dad here?"

The boys turned to look at Alice, so I did too. She stood up and then quick as blink she was at my side. She took me in her arms and led me to a couch. From deep within her pockets, she pulled out a note and handed it to me.

I took the note from her and read it. It said: In order to ensure your loyalty and secrecy, we have taken your father.

That was it. Nothing else.

My knees buckled and I must have swooned, for the next thing I knew, Edward was holding me. But then came the blackness.


	13. Chapter 22 - Plans are made

Chapter 22 – Plans are made

Sunday, September 27, 1987

When I woke up the next morning, I just stared at the ceiling. I felt numb and didn't know what to do. Finding two vampires in my house late at night was freaky enough, but the note about my dad nearly sent me into hysterics. I was still emotionally drained, but as I laid in bed, I ran back over the events of the previous evening trying to piece it all together.

Or maybe I was just torturing myself some more. I felt so guilty about putting my dad in harm's way, and I had let everyone know it last night. Of course, Edward tried to comfort me, but I had pushed him away. I felt bad for being so rude to him, but I was truly upset.

In the end, Jacob was the only one I'd allow near me. His warmth and strength were too comforting to ignore, and I allowed him to hug me. While Jacob tended to me, Edward tried calling Ben's house, but the phone just rang and rang. After getting no answer, Edward hung up the phone and shrugged. He then had offered to send someone over to talk to Ben and his family, but I told them not to bother them at this hour. The note did say my father wouldn't be harmed so long as I didn't go around spreading any more information. Informing Ben could just add to the problem. We just didn't know. Since we had so little to go on, the only thing we could do was wait and keep quiet.

My nerves unraveled quickly after not being able to reach Ben though. How could they not? I didn't know where my father was and I couldn't even reach my boyfriend. I hoped that he and his family were alright. But my main focus was still my dad. I paced the room, pushing anyone away who tried to calm me.

Everyone insisted that I get a good night's sleep, but I resisted them so hard that I was reduced to tears which did finally make me sleepy. Jacob was still the only one capable of calming me down. He wrapped his arms around me, led me to my room, and helped me get into bed. He then held me in his arms while I cried myself to sleep. As he stroked my hair, he whispered time and time again that everything would be okay. As I finally drifted off to sleep, Jacob promised we'd go after Chuck in the morning.

I must have had a fitful night of sleep because all my covers were balled up on the floor. I tripped on them as I got up and stumbled into my nightstand. The clattering of my lamp banging into my pictures must have altered Alice to my waking for she waltzed into room a second later. She took one look at me and frowned.

"You don't. . ." She trailed off.

"Look so good?" I finished for her.

She waved her hand dismissively, "I was going to say ready to hear what I have to say. . . which is nothing really."

I perked up and went towards her with my hands out in an imploring gesture. "No, no. I'm ready! Do you have any more details? You know something?"

Alice sighed. She looked like a pixie. A sad one. "I still don't know who has your dad, but I'm positive it's not a vampire. I'd be able to see that. No, whoever has your dad isn't human or vampire. But even though I can't see your dad or who has him. I do still have an image related to him."

"An image?"

She nodded. "Yes and no. It's all very weird. I've never had this happen to me before. When I have a vision, I have a vision. I see pictures, but in this case, I see words – four of them."

"And what are those words?"

Alice took me in her arms and led me out of my room and towards the kitchen. "Books, water, and Chuck Swan. And the words keep repeating themselves over and over again. Flashing brightly. Relentlessly. It was enough to drive me crazy. That's why I begged Edward and Jacob to come over here. I had to make the words stop and I hoped that once I came here it would."

Alice drew in a big breath and then continued. "When we got to your house to investigate and found the note, the visions did stop."

I looked at her questionably. "Isn't that good for you?"

She nodded. "But another word came to me this morning. Feather."

"Feather?" I repeated.

"Does any of it make sense to go?"

My head spun. The words could have meant anything. It really wasn't much to go on. Certainly didn't seem like much of a clue. In fact, if anything, it sounded like me. I liked books and of course my father. And if I could turn into a swan someday, then I'd probably like water and I'd certainly have feathers.

I told this all to Alice, but she still insisted that the words were clues.

I sat down at the kitchen table, ignoring the others, and cradled my head. It hurt. Jacob put his arm around me and I felt a little better. I could hear the others talking, but I didn't make out any of the words. I rubbed my temples and thought about what it would be like to turn into a bird. Maybe I could fly away and leave my troubles behind. No, I couldn't really do that. Nor did I want to. But maybe I could fly around town looking for signs of my father. Then I realized that idea was just absurd as trying to run away. I sighed and stopped holding my head.

"I'm calling Ben," I announced to the others and scooted my chair back. Edward was there helping me before I was even mid stand.

I walked over to the archaic phone and dialed up Ben. He answered the phone in a chipper manner, but as I told him everything, his cheerful disposition slipped into shock. I could hear the panic and frustration in his voice even those his words were comforting. Like me, he didn't know who was responsible, but he had his suspicions.

"It has to be the Order of the Rose," his voice was tight, but controlled. I could imagine him shuddering with anger and possibly morphing into his were-persona.

"That's what we think too," I twisted the telephone cord and brought it to my mouth to chew on. "But I was worried about calling you in case we made things worse. But then again, I think you may be our only lead.

"Let me check with my parents. I'll call you back in minute. But the words are books, feather, and water, right?"

"Yes," I bite into the chord. "And my dad's name."

"Don't worry, Bella. We'll get your father back," he promised.

I politely thanked him, but knew that he couldn't really make that promise. It was just words to comfort me.

I paced the living room floor while the others tried to reassure me too. Tiger seemed ill at ease also. I wasn't sure if he knew something was wrong with his master or if it was the fact that we had vampires in our house.

The phone rang and I quickly answered it.

"Hello, Bella." Ben replied. "My parents don't know anything about the kidnapping. I ran the words water and books by them, but they couldn't think of anything either. The idea of him being held someplace that has books and water isn't much to go on. Lots of places around here fit that description. There are many private houses on the water. Our town's library is right across the street from a public pool. Why there is even a bookstore on the water. And then of course there is always Galveston."

"So that's it. We have nothing to go on?" I turned away from the other three who had gathered around me so that they might ease drop.

"Not at all. I've saved the best piece of information for last."

"And that is?"

"The society does at times make use of the old Jim West Mansion which has an extensive library and is right on the water."

"The what mansion?"

Jacob took the phone from me and started talking to Ben. "You mean the Lunar and Planetary Institution?"

I couldn't hear Ben's answer, but Jacob smiled.

"The LPI would be good. My father can get us in there."

Jacob paused to let Ben say something. I reached for the phone, but Jacob shooed me away. Edward took me in his arms and led me to the sofa. I watched as Jacob and presumably Ben talked.

"Yes. The LPI is guarded, but not well. There's a guard at the gate leading onto the premises from the road and another at the front door. But the land is surrounded by woods and while fenced, it would be easy to climb over and get onto the property. So yes. We have lots of options."

Jacob was quiet again.

"I think that would be great. I think Bella would like to see you. I'm going to call my dad and see if he can arrange to get us on site. And I like the idea of having others get onto the property undetected by sneaking through the woods. That way we'll have several options available."

Jacob waited.

"Okay see you soon." Jacob hung up the phone.

I wasn't sure I liked the others making plans for me, but then again I was pretty upset and probably wasn't thinking straight. "Okay so what's going on? Ben's coming over?"

"Yes," Jacob replied, "His parents thought the LPI was probably the best local place to investigate and would be easy enough to get to. Sure the road to get in has a guard gate, but the building is surrounded by woods and the perimeter isn't guarded. Only real secure parts are the road and the entrance to the building. It should be easy to sneak onto the premises by walking through the woods and climbing over the fence. Getting into the building itself will be more challenging, but not impossible. Trust me, it really isn't well guarded. NASA uses it mostly as a library and a place to hold meetings and parties. I suppose the LPI would work for a temporary cell. Although rumor is they are building a new LPI and this one would be vacant soon."

As Jacob talked the doorbell rang and while I looked nervous, Edward waved off my concern. "I'll get it. It's just my family here to help."

The others talked around me and possibly at me, but I was still too distracted to really concentrate. I kept thinking about my dad and what a mess I had made of things. My father was in danger because of me.

More people filed into my house, but I was too mopey to pay them much attention.

It wasn't long before Ben was at my house though and I'm ashamed to admit it, but I felt a little brighter just having him around. He held up a white paper sack as he entered my house, "Hungry? I brought donuts and kolaches."

It wasn't until that moment I realized just how hungry I was. I'd been fretting so much about Chuck that I hadn't even thought about eating and with a house filled with all vampires and Nephilims the idea of food wasn't even discussed, but now as I breathed in the odor of melted cheese, sausage, and warm bread, my stomach rumbled and reminded me that I was human. Or part human at least.

"Yes, I am actually," I closed the door behind him and followed him to the kitchen.

He opened a napkin and laid it on the table. I watched as his long fingers peeled the layers of a second tissue thin napkin apart and arranged it on top of the first napkin. He then pulled out a chair for me. "Sit here and help yourself." He then set the bag next to the opened napkins. "I've already eaten."

"Thank you," I smiled at him. I took my seat as he had instructed.

He looked at me with his deep, dark eyes. I didn't like what I saw in them though. Sorrow. I could see that he was upset. I wanted to erase his pain, but I had so much pain of my own that I just didn't have much energy left.

"Is something a matter?" I reached for his hand.

He gave it to me willingly, but looked startled. "Of course. I'm sorry about your father. I'm just worried sick and I feel . . . bad for you."

"Oh," I held his hand and took comfort in its warmth. "I thought maybe there was something else."

He squeezed my hand. "God, I hope not."

Jacob slapped a hand on Ben's shoulder. "Ben's right. We've got enough on our plate. Nice to see you again, Ben."

Ben smiled and some of his sadness lifted, "You too Jacob. The team sure misses having you."

Jacob shrugged. "I've still got years of playing left."

"Well, I'm glad I've got you on this team," Ben circled his right hand in front of him. "And thanks for letting me be a part of it. My parents are calling around to see what else they can find out. They will see if they can get access to the LPI also."

"Great!" Jacob clapped his hands. "The Cullens arrived just a little before you did and we've worked out a plan."

Ben didn't reply, but he squeezed my hand. And then as if he noticed that I wasn't eating, he dug through the bag and placed a kolache on my napkin. "Eat," he pushed the food towards me.

Jacob continued, "Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Esme will stay here at the Swans just in case anyone else shows up."

Ben rested his hands on my shoulder and gave me a slight massage as if he could wipe all my troubles away. I picked at my kolache as I listened to Jacob's retelling of our plans. I drifted in and out of the conversation. I was still fraught with guilt and worry and couldn't think of much other than my internal turmoil.

"The Blacks and Carlisle will enter the LPI premise as guests of Mr. Black. Edward, Alice, Bella, and you will sneak onto the perimeter through the forest. You will have to avoid the second guard station and see if you can get into the place by a back entry or through a window. Can't promise anything will be open though, but we can hope and vampires do have some interesting ways of opening locked windows. Of course we will have walkie-talkies, so if for some reason you can't find a way in, then radio us and we'll see if we can open something for you. Or distract the guard."

I sighed.

Jacob knelt beside me and placed his hand over mine. "It'll-"

"Don't you dare tell me it'll be okay." I pulled my hand out from under his and used it to push myself out of my seat. "Don't anyone else tell me that'll be okay," I swayed my finger around the room as if it were a knife. "We don't know that. And while I thank you all for your help. I'm not sure I really want it. It is because of all of you that I am in this at this moment. I've relied on too many others to take care of things and all it has done is make things worse. Now listen up. I will take care of this. I'm in charge. I'm not listening to any of you. Not anymore."

No one said anything. Judging from the clenched jaws and mournful eyes they desperately wanted to say something to me.

"Now, I'm going along with this plan for now. But once I get in, I'm on my own."

Rosalie started to say something but I stamped my foot so hard on the ground that the table actually rattled. "I'm on my own," I repeated.

I could see several sets of eyes shifting from one set to another, but again no one said anything.

I grabbed Ben by the wrist and marched to my sofa. I scooped up my purse and headed for the door, "And by the way. I'm leaving now."


	14. Chapter 23 - What lies beneath the books

Chapter 23 – What lies beneath the books?

Sunday, September 27, 1987 – mid morning

Quick as a whirlwind, Alice and Edward meet us at the front door. Edward insisted on driving and I reluctantly agreed. I said a hasty good-bye to the others and wished them all luck. I sensed we'd need it. Then my group piled into Edward's car.

He drove like a manic and I swore I'd never get in the car with him again, but at least it didn't take us long to get where we were going. He parked his car near the side of the road next to an old sewage treatment plant.

"Ugh." I held my nose with one hand and my stomach with the other. "It smells really bad."

"Hop on. I'll get you out of here and you won't have to smell that," Alice promised. She patted her back and held her arms out to me. "Edward can give Ben a piggy back ride."

"What are you talking about?" I stared at Alice over the ridge of my knuckles. I was still holding my nose.

Alice smiled. "It's a vampire thing. We may not fly, but we run so fast that you'd think you were."

Ben took a step back. "Dude, that's weird."

"No, it's fine," Alice waved off Ben's comment, "We run like that all the time and carrying you will be easy."

Ben shook his head, "No, no, no. Not that. I mean letting Edward carry me through the forest. No thank you."

"Fine, I'll take Bella and Alice can carry you," Edward swept me off my feet and into his arms, and then like a flash he was off.

I don't know how Edward ran through the woods. The forest was full of trees, but it was the bushes and undergrowth that blocked our path. Edward was like a bulldozer though and just plowed right over everything. He used his arms as a shield to protect me from any wayward branches. The further into the forest he went, the faster he ran.

Edward was running through the forest now at breakneck speeds. Shades of green and brown flew by but I could only see colors not shapes. The sensation made me a little queasy, so I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms even tighter around Edward's stony neck. He jumped once or twice and then just like that, he stopped.

I opened my eyes. I was still cradled in his arms, but we were over the fence and now on the LPI property. The old 1930s Italian style villa was only half a mile in front of us.

"Do you think you can stand?" Edward took a few step forwards, but he was moving slowly now.

"I'm good," I replied, tapping my chest with my finger. "You can set me down."

Edward set me down as Alice appeared from the forest still carrying Ben. "Well, that was interesting," Ben replied. His eyes were wild with excitement, but his smile was wide and brilliant.

"I'm glad you like it," Alice said. Then she turned to me, "I can see why you like this one, Bella. Not only is he cute, but he smells nice. Primal. Musky. Spicy."

Ben hopped out of her arms and landed on the ball of his feet like an Olympian gymnast. He leaned towards Alice and nudged her with his broad football shoulders. "Right back at you, Alice. You don't smell so bad yourself."

A crackling sound followed by static alerted me to the fact that Alice had a set of walkie-talkies attached to her red leather belt.

I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"What? Do you think Edward can hear thoughts from so far away?" She swiped the device from her belt like a hawk on a mouse. Her perfectly pink manicured finger tapped a button.

I smirked. I knew she was making fun of me. Probably trying to lighten the mood.

"Can you repeat that?" She talked into the small device.

The voice on the other end had an imperial almost constrained quality to it and I recognized it at once as Rosalie's. She informed us that the LPI is basically closed on Sunday and that visitors, even those working for the government, need a three business day background check. Mr. Black was waiting on his approval and was hoping to speed it up. Sometimes, the LPI would speed up the process for personnel such as Mr. Black.

"Okay, thanks, Rosalie," Alice replied. Her dainty face was marred by a slight frown.

Edward held up a hand and tilted his head.

"Do you hear anything," Alice asked brightly as her frowning expression slipped into hope.

"No. I'm still too far away."

Alice nodded. "You three stay here and I'll find us a back way in. We vampires have some advantages that way." She slipped her walkie-talkie back onto her belt with fingers as small as a child's but as nimble as a surgeons. Her pink nails suggested innocence, but I knew that she could be deadly if crossed. I was glad she was on my side.

Edwards stopped her. "I should go. I might be able to hear them."

"Good luck," she replied, but he was already gone.

I rubbed my hands on my shorts. I was so nervous that my hands were already sweating. I was once again putting my life in other people's hands. I didn't like it. I felt that for once I should take action, but Alice was right. I still needed them. They had certain skills that I lacked. I would just have to rely on them a little longer. I looked at Ben and sighed. Maybe I was being too selfish. Maybe I should relax and work with the others. Ben was a football player and was used to teamwork. The Cullens had formed a family and they too worked like a team. Maybe I was being silly and falling back into my old ways of shutting everyone out. But then again what else did I know? While I had blocked everyone out, I had been safe. It was only now after I had let people into my life that I was in trouble.

Edward was back. "Got it," he smiled. He scooped me up and he was off again. I closed my eyes and didn't open them again until the swaying and jarring movements had stopped and we were settled again. I opened my eyes to see that we were in the building. For the briefest of moments I was surprised and the speed at which the vampires worked, but then I was thankful. Perhaps, I would be reunited with my father soon.

We were now in an upstairs dressing room that overlooked the surrounding forest. We had not only entered the building, but we were now on the second floor. Again, I was impressed. I had no idea how Alice and Edward managed to scale the building while holding Ben and I. And truth be told, I wasn't sure I wanted to know. As I looked out the window, I could see that we were higher up than many of the nearby oaks. Again, I was amazed at the vampire's abilities and shuttered a little to think how dangerous this duo was.

I shivered again and Alice eyed me shrewdly as if she knew my thoughts.

I turned my attention away from the vampires and to the room itself. I tried to commit to memory this place as a possible escape route. Even as clumsy as I was, I could probably use the oak trees to climb back down.

The room was small and heavily clad in fabric. In fact, between the long gauzy drapes and the ruffled table skirt on the vanity I felt as if I were trapped inside one of those fancy coffins. Maybe I didn't want to come back to this room. It looked nice enough, but something about the room felt suddenly like death. Of course being in tight quarters with two undead creatures didn't help things out either.

As Edward set me down onto the plush rose colored carpet however, I felt as if I were suffocating. I had to take a deep breath to calm my nerves, but my palms were beginning to leak. An oak laced breeze fluttered in through the open window trailing the curtains further into the room as if the curtains wanted to stop us. The light fabric brushed against my arm and I flinched.

Edward looked at me. I gave him a weak smile as I tried to act brave.

Another breath of wind whispered into the room. This wind was harder than the first and carried with it the fresh scent of pine from the forest and even rained in a handful of acorns from the nearby oak tree. The smell, while refreshing, was also reminder that I was leaving security behind. The forest had been safe; this house smelled of dust and danger. The forceful wind pushed the curtains further into the room and I stepped aside to avoid being contained by the fabric arms.

Edward placed his hand on the small of my back and leaned in so close that his lips brushed against my ear as he whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I lied. "As good as can be expected."

"Are you sure?" Ben still within Alice's arms looked both childlike and worried. His voice was laden with concern and I could tell that he wanted to be by my side.

I nodded my head, but Ben's face still expressed concern and I could see his muscles rippling under his shirt as if worry were consuming him or perhaps he was straining to come to me.

I laid my hand on the vanity as if to draw support from the building.

In typical Alice speed, Alice set Ben down, walked over to the vanity, and picked up a silver plated hairbrush.

"It'll be okay, Bella." She ran the brush down the length of my hair and it felt both nice and relaxing. She repeated the action over and over again and with each stroke, I felt stronger.

Ben, a moment slower than Alice, was by my side as well. He wrapped one of his gloriously protective arms around my shoulder, but didn't say anything. Instead he drew me further into him as if could us one.

I think he was as worried as I was. I could feel his heart beating in time to mine. It was rather enduring and at that moment we both sighed. I looked into his face and he into mine. We smiled at one another. Together we seemed to feed emotionally off one another and that support was overpowering. I needed him as much as he needed me. We were in this together and together we'd see this through. Suddenly, I felt so much better as if my other half had reappeared.

"We can do this, Bella," Ben whispered into my ear. His warm breath sent chills down my spine. Inhaling his scented breath was liking breathing cold lemonade on a hot summer day – it was both pleasant and satisfying and more than that it refreshed my soul.

I nodded and bumped into Alice's hand as she continued to brush my hair.

Surprisingly, Edward was the one person . . . well, monster not to comfort me. Instead, Edward half crouched in the center of the room with his head cocked to the side. He held up a hand to silence us. His face grew more stone-like and suddenly, I couldn't watch him or the others even. All I'd see was worry and I needed to gather my strength.

Closing my eyes for a second, I took in a deep breath and then reopened them. To keep my mind of the others, I stared at the scrolling wall borders of painted cozy cottages. They were intricately painted and I now longed to be far away from this place. I wanted to be inside those beautifully painted scenes where everything looked so postural and peaceful.

The frilly lace and ruffle accents in the room did nothing to but me at ease though. Nor did the gauzy curtains that twisted around my arm again with each curling breath of wind. In a room as girlie as this one, it should have been difficult to be too afraid, but I couldn't help myself. I was afraid.

My father had been kidnapped and now I was trespassing. My life at the moment was too much like a poorly written novel. I sighed and then took in another deep breath. I had to remain calm and focus. I'd messed things up and I was going to have to make things right again. I just had to. And this room, however nostalgic of a simpler time, reminded me that I was heading into trouble. I was after all breaking and entering and on government property. Things were getting serious now.

Alice's loving strokes brought me back to the present, but Ben's embrace feed me my strength and resolve. I stood taller and nestled my head against Ben's chin. My actions were almost mirrored by Edwards.

Edward stood up again and as he lowered his hand, he motioned us forward. We crept across the floor, Edward and Alice didn't make a sound, but every step Ben and I took the floorboards groaned like the dying. The sound of the squeaking floor betrayed the beating of my heart. Surely we'd be discovered. As if sensing the danger of our situation, Edward scooped me into his arm and Alice did the same for Ben.

"You two are noisy," Alice sighed. She then sniffed Ben's hair, "But I do like the way you smell."

"Umm. Thanks," Ben whispered. Then with a flick of his head, he added, "So, the library will be on the first floor."

Edward nodded. He listened at the door for a moment and then turned the knob. His hand jumped back before trying again. "Sorry. The knob was ice cold. It startled me."

He opened the door and darted into the hall. He motioned for Alice to follow, but hadn't needed to. She was already there.

The two of them crept side by side down the wide and curving staircase. They were quiet and it amazed me that creatures as hard as stone could be as quiet as mice. The wooden steps were carpeted by a worn, faded red fabric that was fraying at the sides. Dust stirred with each of Edward's steps, but not even the hint of a whisper portrayed his movements. My feet dangled over the edge of Edward's arms and just above the wrought iron banister that twisted like a broken heart. Or maybe that was my heart ripping in my chest; longing for my dad.

The stairs spilled out like a tongue past two large, dark columns and onto a pale marbled foyer that looked like the stained teeth of a monster. Edward set me down on the floor, but I slipped. He was there to catch me, but his hard body bruised mine. Ben's hand found mine a moment later. Although he had a raw, animalistic power to his grip, his hand seemed soft compared to Edwards. I also noticed that he was fast, but not as fast as Edward.

Edward looked at Ben. They eyed one another the way wolves meeting for the first time might. Both straightened to their full heights and their chests puffed out like roosters. Ben was the bigger of the two by far, but I had no doubt that Edward would probably win in fight.

"Follow me. We are close now." Ben said in a voice as low as a limbo game. Still holding my hand, Ben led the way. Our fingers were entwined like ropes around a life preserver and somehow I truly felt safe around him.

He looked at me briefly and squeezed my hand slightly as if he could read my mind. "Just don't trip," he said with a wink and a turned up smile.

I jutted my hip into his. "Really? Jokes at a time like this?"

"Who says I was joking?"

"You are an absolute beast, you know that right?"

"Guilty," he said in a voice that was a little too playful and husky for a time like this. Then he sauntered across the slick marble like a tiger on the prowl and firmly tugged me along. "But I won't let you fall. Ever. Remember?"

Edward hissed like a cat, but Alice reminded us all to be quiet.

With our mouths sealed for once, we entered a rectangular room that was paneled from floor to ceiling in dark rose colored wood. Two fires blazed in fireplaces on both ends of the room, but the room had no warmth. It was as cold as crypt, but smelled like a cellar. I shivered from fear and cold. Ben's arm found my waist and he drew my alongside him. I felt warmer instantly.

"This place sort of reminds of something out of Beauty and the Beast," Ben whispered into my ear.

Again Edward hissed and Alice cautioned us on our noise making endeavors.

I thought about what Ben said. He wasn't wrong. The place was large and a bit castle-like and the stairwell for sure could have been from the book and then there was the fact that place supposedly housed a large library. Why even this room, although modern compared to the book had a historic feel to it with its overuse of wood.

The room was large and the wood gave it a boxed in feel almost as if I were in a coffin. It was furnished in plain, but comfortable sofas that looked as if they belonged in a funeral home. A pair of pale blue, velvet sofas the color of a corpse faced each of the fires. Alice flittered like a moth towards the sofas and ran her dainty fingers across the fabric. She smiled approvingly at the quality of the furniture.

As I watched her, I too longed to press my hands across the inviting fabric, but knew I'd only slow us down. Unlike Alice, I didn't move at blinding speeds. Ben and I walked as quietly as we could across the wooden floor, but it wasn't easy. The well-polished wood was surprisingly in good shape and didn't make much noise, but still our feet betrayed us with each passing step.

Edward sighed and I could tell he was tempted to scoop us both up in an effort to both hurry us and quiet us. Ben, on-the-other-hand, molded into me the way he was, seemed rather content to stay how he was. I figured this too annoyed Edward.

As we approached a series of stately windows, I worried that somehow we might be discovered by guards outside, but Alice had already scouted the area out and motioned us forward.

I noticed that the windows opposite us now had a sunny seating area of a pale yellow sofa and two matching chairs. While the color was bright enough, something about the 1960 modern lines and the paleness of the shade suggested a cold, harsh reality awaited visitors. Then again perhaps it was my own fears that were coloring my depiction of the scene.

A door closing from the upstairs made us all freeze like statues. I looked at Ben. I was worried. I knew that Edward and Alice with the hardness of their bodies and ability to go extended times without breathing could pass as statues – not that anyone would think they were statues and they'd surely wonder how they got there. Ben and I, however, were all too alive. In no way could Ben and I pass as statues. Without saying a word, both Ben and I melted against the dark wood walls. Edward had his head turned and Alice her eyes closed.

Edward motioned for us to move, "Nothing to worry about. Just someone on their way to the bathroom."

Ben and I hugged the wall as we wrapped our way around the room and avoided the second story balcony overlooking the room just in case someone happened to walk by us. I was glad to have Edward and Alice ease drop for us, but I wondered just how well their skills worked. Apparently their skills worked only on humans and vampires. Who knew who or what we faced here at the LPI. Certainly, there had to be some Bigfoot types. I just hoped that perhaps Ben had some Bigfoot senses and could detect them. I thought about broaching the subject with him, but I could tell that my vampire chaperones were getting annoyed with all the chit-chat.

Since it was early on a Sunday morning, the LPI was depleted of most people. Still, at least one person was here. I looked up at the ceiling again and strained my ear to detect any more signs of life from upstairs. Nothing. Ben and I tip-toed across the floor. Ben had to keep me propped up because I was well . . . you know tipsy.

The floor was of solid construction and didn't give or groan under our weight. Thank the gods. Plus, thick Oriental rugs padded our footfalls. I sighed in relief. Not that I minded being manhandled by vampires or bigfoots, I just wanted to be in charge of my fate for once and not feel so helpless.

We came to a long, wide corridor that was white as a hospital, but architecturally had arches and pavement that resembled underground roman tunnels. I had the sense I was walking down a tunnel under the Colosseum on my way to a gladiator match. I smiled a little because I knew that I had two vampires and one terrifying beast with me.

Ben looked at me with a questioningly smile. "Feeling better?" His warm hand squeezed mine.

"All things considered?! Yes."

I misspoke though. Something dark and sinister flickered ahead of us on the stark white walls and I jumped further into Ben's arms before I realized that it was just a shadow. In fact, overhead, a series of five light fixtures boxy, but Moroccan in style dangled from the ceiling and continued to cast flickering shadows as we passed. I felt as hallow as our shadows. My father had been taken from me and now here I was trespassing on government property. My sins were as dark as my shadow, but my fear was longer.

It seemed like an eternity to travel down the tunnel like hall. We passed three heavy wooden doors and a row of heavily draped windows without any problems. Every window we passed caused me a moments panic though as I worried about getting caught by the guards patrolling the outside perimeter.

In fact, I was so busy worrying about the windows that I neglected the doors. I supposed I put too much trust into my vampire friends' abilities for I when the last door flew open just before us, I jumped like cat scared by a cucumber.

Luckily, Alice's hand was around my mouth before I could call out in surprise and in the same fluid motioned, she'd whisked me into the long, thick drapes surrounding the nearby window. Edward must have done the same to Ben. For now the hallway was vacant aside from the door still in mid swing. Alice clung to me as our bodies pressed into the stucco walls behind layers of silk and damask curtains. Only a thin layer of fabric and a vampire's arms were my current source of cover. This was crazy. Surly, we'd be exposed. My chest heaved as if I'd been sprinting, but Alice continued to hold me tight with her hand across my mouth. I didn't dare move, but I could feel sweat beading on my forehead and in my palms.

The door came to rest against the wall with a soft thud. A middle-aged man with balding blonde hair and thin wire framed glasses exited the room balancing a large metal tray on three fingers. He carried a thin leather bound book and two tall glass filled with clear liquid on his tray. He was whistling a show tune as he used his right foot to hook the end of the door and drag it to a half closed position.

He couldn't have been human otherwise Alice or Edward would have detected his presence. As if to confirm my suspicions, I heard a hitch in Ben's voice as if he were startled and knew the man. I didn't dare move to check on Ben though. I was too afraid to blink or breathe let alone turn my head. Thankfully, I still had Alice supporting me or I'd probably move and portray us all.

The man stopped whistling and cocked his head to the side as if he were straining to hear something. How, I hoped he hadn't heard Ben. I could feel sweat pooling under my arms now and I felt so bad for Alice. I was probably as slippery as a greased pig. The man stood there for a second and then picked up his tune exactly where he'd left off. He readjusted his glasses and then ambled off in the direction we'd just come.

The heaving of my chest slowed, but even as my heartbeat dipped, I could still feel the blood racing through my body. Adrenaline rocked my body, but the constraining comfort of Alice's arms kept me balanced.

Soon the tune died away and from the distance another door could be heard opening and closing. Edward stepped out of the curtains to the left of me and then so did Ben. Alice let me go and I stumbled forward into the empty corridor. Alice caught me by the elbow as she stepped to my side. "It'll be okay," she whispered so low that I wasn't sure she said anything at all.

I really hoped Chuck was here. Going through all this trouble for nothing wasn't worth it. My heart still beat faster than normal and I was worried that if I didn't get control of my emotions, then I'd give myself a heart attack.

Ben pointed to the doorway that was now open just a smidge and then placed a finger to his lips. I nodded.

With bated breath, I passed the door on tip toes and followed Ben and Alice into the adjacent sun room. I couldn't hear Edward behind me, but I could smell his sweet scent. The divine dessert like smell wafting off him made me feel a little better, but only just.

At last we were at the end of the great house. There was no more rooms beyond this one unless we turned around and went back the other way. I wasn't sure why Ben had led us here. I had expected books, but this room, while vast, was sparely furnished and had only one large towering bookshelf that stood in the corner like a bully. Every inch of the shelves was used including books resting on top of books so that the entire space was filled.

A patina blue copper fireplace with art deco lines and designs melted into the center wall. Sunlight skipped across the large marble squares on the floor as oak trees swayed in the wind just outside the window. I felt a chill as the sunlight hopscotched across the room. One moment it was there, the next minute gone. I hoped that my life would not be as fleeting as those pinpricks of lights.

Footsteps overhead drew all our attention upwards. I titled my head as I listened to the squeaking of boards and the clatter of hard soled shoes on wood. The movement was contained to the section just over our heads and eventually the sound stopped.

I relaxed my shoulders as things quieted again. I hadn't even noticed that I'd been hunched over in anticipation. I kept my ear trained to the ceiling as I briefly scanned the scene above me. Three light fixtures of museum quality hung in a row across the long rectangular ceiling. The fixtures were among the oddest and most beautiful I'd ever seen. They were simple and elegant in design and looked like a very simple computer circuit. Each fixture had a row of what looked like three raised and crudely constructed tic-tac-toe boards. I lost myself in thought about the childhood game which could only be resolved in one of three ways: win, lose, or draw. From the moment I set foot on property, I'd felt I'd been trapped into a game of chess, but maybe I'd really been playing more of a game of tic-tac-toe. I hoped my victory could be so short and sweet. But I knew that two more options also awaited me.

Ben walked over to the book case and stared at its edges and then examined the books.

I wandered that direction too, but Alice remained in the center of the room facing the fireplace and shut her eyes.

Edward followed me.

"I don't understand," I came to a stop next to Ben. "I thought the LPI housed like thousands of books and documents. Where are they all? This is it?"

A chair overhead screeched across the floor and the footsteps started up again. My eyes darted upward. The sound faded. Someone must have found carpeting or perhaps a chair. I looked back at the bookshelf. I felt a tingling in my fingertips. Anticipation. Fear. Anxiety. I moved closer to the boys. I exhaled and only then did I realize that I had been holding my breath.

Ben was still looking the bookshelf up and down. His head craned towards the darkened crease where the bookshelf pressed into the wall. "Yeah. No. There are more books. Lots more. Like in the rooms we just passed. But this is a special shelf."

"Special? How?"

Edward ran a hand along the section of the bookshelf that met the wall. "I see what you mean."

I furrowed my brows and stepped around the boys to better see into the shadowy darkness. All I could see was a long, dark crease that ran between the wall and the shelf.

I scratched the back of my neck, "I don't see anything."

Edward took my hand. A shock sparked between us and we both shared a fleeting private smile. He then edged my hand closer to the wall. "Do you feel the current?"

I nodded. I did. I could feel it. It was light and little like the sigh of a baby, but it was there. Something was behind the wall. A secret room or perhaps just a space, but the shelf was certainly blocking something.

Edward sniffed the air surrounding us, "I can smell your father. It's very faint, but I can smell him. He's just behind the shelf."

Before I could lower my hand, Alice had joined us and had swept Ben into her arms. "Edward, we need to go."

"Leaving so soon?"


	15. Chapter 24 - I get a shot of reality

Chapter 24 – I get a shot of reality

Sunday, September 27, 1987 continued

We spun on our heels and there was Gary.

"Gary?" Ben's hand slide from the bookshelf to his side as if he'd been shot.

Gary smiled and threw out his hands in a welcoming gesture. "Hey, guys. You can't be leaving so soon; you have only just got here. Please come sit with me and we can talk. I'm sure that Bella would agree to that. We can talk about her father." Gary held up a device in his hand. It was a small controller of some sort. "And just to ensure the vampires don't try anything. I will hold on to this little live device gadget thing to control whether your father lives or dies. Doesn't that sound fun? See if anything happens to me, your father will die. Sorry, but with vampires around I need a little extra insurance. I'm sure you'll all behave though, right?!"

None of us moved as Gary walked to a tall straight-backed chair by the fireplace and took a seat.

"Ah, don't be like that. Come. Sit. Be my guest." He pulled a rose from a crystal vase and twirled it between his thumb and fingers. The thorns didn't seem to bother him. He drew the rose to his nose and took a sniff. "Seems a shame to hurt something so beautiful." He then tore a petal from the steam and let fall to the cold, hard floor.

I huffed and marched over towards Gary. My feet thundered louder than my anger. "Let my father go." I pointed toward the bookshelf with one hand, but the other balled into a fist. Preparing to strike, I cocked it back.

Alice, now devoid of Ben, was by my side in a heartbeat. She gathered me in her arms and cradled me as if I were a runaway child. Her cold hand ran over the length of my hair. "Careful, Bella." Her breath was like ice, but it was her words that chilled both my heart and my anger.

"Tut-tut-tut." Gary peeled another petal from the rose and let it drop. His beautiful eyes appraised me. "Don't be like that Bella. You are the one that is an intruder here at the moment remember. Sit." He waved his hands towards the vacant chairs. "Let's talk. Everything will be fine. Unlike others in your company, Bella, I'm not a monster."

I furrowed my brows. His words stung. "What are you talking about?"

"Gary," Ben said. His voice was clipped, but controlled as he took steps in our direction. "I don't know what you think you are doing, but this is wrong. There is no need to hurt Mr. Swan."

Gary's face grew grim, but he didn't reply. His eyes scrunched up as he stared at Ben, but the look soften as he trained his eyes on me. The corner of his lips twitched, but he still didn't say a word. At last, he held his controller up again so that we could see it. He then gestured toward the chairs. He sighed when none of us moved. His eyes darted around the room, and I had the sense that he was getting impatient.

Wanting to be free, I squirmed in Alice's arms, but she was too strong for me to break lose.

"I'm fine," I said to Alice and she let me go.

Glaring, I walked over towards Gary. Alice matched my steps. I sat in a chair opposite Gary, and Alice sat to my right. Ben came to stand behind my chair and placed his hands on my shoulder. Edward also refused to sit.

"Let the others go, Gary," Ben's hands were gripped to the edge of my seat now, but he was shaking so hard that my chair vibrated.

Edward mumbled something to Ben. I had no idea what, but the shaking stopped. I was glad. Things were volatile enough now that I didn't need Ben losing control of his anger. I was proud that he seemed to have so much control over his emotions.

Gary glanced at the boys, but seemed unconcerned as he plucked another petal. "Now imagine our surprise when we stopped by Bella's place this morning to discuss this matter with her and discovered that not only wasn't she home, but that she had company. I suspected that Ben might led you here, Bella. Looks like I was right. I suppose that it was stupid of me to bring your dad here in first place. But, oh wells. I'm stupid. I won't make that mistake again. Now look. The Order doesn't want its secrets out-"

"Gary," my voice was forced as I fought to control my anger. I leaned forward in my chair with hands grasping the edge of my seat. My hands were slick with sweat, but pressed hard into the fabric. Goose bumps raced across my skin like wildfire and I felt both hot and cold at the same time. "Just let my father go. He won't tell anyone."

"And you?" Gary leaned forward and rubbed the rose across his cheek.

"I won't tell anyone either."

"The Order can't risk their secrets getting out. We need a . . . guest to stay with us to ensure secrecy."

"That's ridiculous. My father isn't any sort of a threat. He won't say a word. I promise. Just let him go."

"Hmm." Gary seemed to ponder my request as he twirled the rose around and around. "Would you be willing to trade your father's freedom for yours?"

"Yes of course."

Ben's hands dug into my shoulder. "NO! Bella, no. That's crazy. There is no way we'd let that happen. Your father wouldn't want that either."

Gary picked a part the rose one petal at time as if he weren't really listening to us. "Bella. Chuck. Bella. Chuck," he repeated with each shedding of a petal. "Time is running out. A decision must be made."

"Me! Let it be me," I begged. I had my hands clasped together now and pressed them to my chest as I leaned forward. Ben's hands still dug into my shoulder blade like an iron talon.

"No!" Everyone answered at once and then broke into various reasons why I shouldn't do it.

Gary raised his hand and then waved it to get the others to stop talking. "Silence! Things are just getting interesting, aren't they?"

Gary set his rose down on his lap and studied me with cold, hard eyes. His thumb rubbed circles over his index finger's cuticle. He then snapped his fingers. A moment later, Robert entered with a flamethrower and a frown.

I flinched so hard that something in my neck snapped.

"Robert!" Ben's voice squeaked. Ben stepped from behind my chair and positioned himself between me and the flamethrower. His broad shoulders were like a barricade. "What are you doing?"

Robert didn't reply. He wouldn't even met Ben's eyes. His hands were trembling though and I was afraid he'd accidently set off the flamethrower. He took a deep breath, steadied his arms, and then leveled a flat gaze at Edward.

My stomach was a spiraling vortex of fear and I could feel bile inch its way up my throat. I took Ben's hand into mine and tried to speak, but my throat was too thick.

"Take the others away. Bella will be our new guest. I will release her father shortly."

Again the others called out in protest, but Gary stood up showing the controller while Robert made motions with his weapon. Gary wore a thin smile as if it had been cut by a knife, but Robert's mouth was drawn down. Robert swayed from side to side and I could see sweat beading across his forehead. Again, I feared he'd lose control of the flamethrower.

"I'm fine." I told the others.

Edward didn't listen. Instead he dashed towards Gary, bearing fangs, but Gary caught Edward in the chest. Edward howled and dropped to the floor, writhing in pain. Edward's chest rose and fell with each scream like waves in a hurricane.

I scrunched my brows. I'd never seen Edward like this. What had Gary done?

Gary's smile widened like a craggy pit in an earthquake. Laughing, he placed his hands out for Alice to see. "Sulphur. It may not kill vampires, but it will cause you some serious pain. I do have plenty of tricks up my sleeve guys, so please there is no need to fight dirty with me. You won't win."

Alice ran to Edward's side and ripped the shirt right of his chest. His pale, flawless skin erupted with red, angry boils popping up like lava in a mud pit.

The bile in my throat solidified as anger took control of my body. "Don't hurt my friends. I said I'd go with you."

Ben veered on his heels and took me in his arms. He was trembling as his fingers dug into my back. "You will not go with him. I will not leave you."

Again, I was impressed by his will power. He hadn't turned yet. It broke my heart to abandon him, but I couldn't let anyone else suffer because of me.

I placed a hand on his face and could feel the stubble on his chin. I opened my mouth to speak, but Gary spoke first.

"Ben. I would never harm Bella or her father, but I can't let them both leave. One or the other must stay. And I won't have the vampires interfering with my plans."

Ben tucked me under one of his arms and then released his other arm from my side, he turned to face Gary. I could feel the muscles tightening in Ben's body and I could feel hair sprouting across his face and arms.

Gary's eyes flickered, but his face was mask of indifference. He held up the controller with one hand and the sulfur with the other. "You are making this more difficult than it needs to be," Gary walked towards the fireplace and rested his shoulder against it. "But I don't mind waiting if you don't. But then again. I'm sure Mr. Swan would like a more comfortable spot. His situation was supposed to be only temporary and I'm afraid that you have messed up those plans enough for me. Tick-tock. Times a wasting."

I spun to face Ben and took his face into my hands. He was beautiful, even in his apen form. I stood on my tip-toes and kissed his lips. It was gentle at first, but then hard as if I realized this would be our last kiss. I stepped back towards Gary. "Let me do this, Ben. For my father."

Alice was standing now and was supporting Edward on her shoulder. She reached out and touched Ben's arm. He withdrew it.

"We don't have a choice, Ben. They have us. We can't fight too well against sulfur or flamethrowers. Please, Ben we can't fit them and win," Alice sounded sad. "But we can get her back." She then looked at Robert. "Where are you taking us then? Let us talk with your council. We can work something out for the release of the Swans or anyone else you may want."

Robert's voice was unsteady and his eyes were roaming all around the room. "What do you think I was doing? Gary's right. This is all part of negotiations. No one is going to be hurt, but we can't have you just take our leverage away. Not while we are working things out."

"Fine," Alice replied. "I will go and talk with your leaders, but note that if anything happens to any of my friends. You and your friend here will be the first I come after. Understood?"

Robert's eyes flashed towards Gary. Robert's skin paled unnaturally and he looked the way I felt – sick.

Gary slapped the back of his hand across his forehead. "Enough already. I told you that you have nothing to worry about. Besides you aren't really in a position to threaten us. That's a flamethrower he has and you know what they can do to your kind." He then looked at his accomplice, "Robert, remember the syringe, but only use it if you have trouble."

Alice, supporting most of Edward's weight, walked to the door. "I'll find a way to get back at you if any harm come to my friends." She paused at the frame as she waited for Ben.

"I don't like this," Ben's voice was gruff, but low. He looked at me and said, "And I'm with Alice. If anything happens to you, Bella, I'm right on Alice's tail. I will make them pay."

I blew him a kiss. "Please just go. I will be fine. I can take care of myself. I promise." There was a catch in my throat as I tasted salt upon my lips. I was crying now and hadn't even noticed.

Ben's shoulders were squared off, his fists balled up and his jaw set like stone. Clearly, he was angry, but he left with the others, looking over his shoulder the whole time like Lot's wife. At the doorframe, he paused for a moment. "I am coming back for you. This isn't over."

Gary pushed off the fireplace, peered down the hallway after the others, and then walked over to the bookcase. "I thought they would never leave. Your friends are so dramatic. I always knew Ben was, but who knew the brooding Cullens would be too."

"So what exactly are you, Gary? You can't be human. You move a little too fast and are comfortable around all this."

Gary cocked his head. "You mean you don't know?"

I shook my head.

He laughed. "I thought you all would have figured it out by now. I'm a Nephilim."

Of all the things he and said and done today this surprised me.

"Now be a dear and hand me the copy of Jules Verne on the top shelf."

I thought his request odd, but did as he asked. The book pulled forward, but wouldn't give way completely. It was as if a ghostly hand held the book by the other half and wouldn't let go, but as I tugged harder, the bookcase creaked open. The stench of mold and mildew streamed out of the crack like a warm morning-breath belch. Dust and stale air swirled into my face as the gap widened.

Sunlight striped the small enclosure and painted shadowy bars across my dad's chained and bound body. My father was trapped Cask of Amontillado style with his hands and legs chained to the wall, but I was relieved to see that he was fine. He had a rag stuffed in his mouth, but he was breathing comfortably. His eyes were wide and I could plainly see the desperation in them as he shook his head. I knew he didn't want me here. I knew seeing me in trouble was causing him great pain.

Reaching out to touch his face in an effort to comfort him, I could feel my heart rip from its chest and plummet to my stomach. I had a sour taste in my mouth, and it felt as if I'd swallowed a porcupine. I was so stupid. Would Gary really let my father go? Or had I just given myself up for nothing. But what else could I do? I had to trade spots with my father. I had to. Of course I was not happy about what I was doing, but I couldn't let my father take the blame for my mistake. I had made this mess; I had to clean it up.

"As you can see, Bella. Your father is perfectly fine. And Mr. Swan, you should be so proud. You have raised such a heroic and noble daughter. She has agreed to take your place."

My dad thrashed in his chains. His head shook. His eyes grew wilder.

"Oh, don't be like that, Mr. Swan. She'll be treated just fine. This situation is only temporary. I won't harm her."

My dad was still fighting against the chains. He was making muffling sounds now.

Gary slipped the controller into his pocket and pulled out a gun and a set of keys. He pointed the gun at me and then handed me a set of keys. "Unlock your father."

I did as he requested. My father's fingers struggled against my fingers as if he were trying to stop me. I waited to undo his mouth last. I didn't want to listen to him sway me against what I'd already decided. Besides I figured it was already too late. The die had been cast. My father's muted screams shifted into a muffled hum. I don't know why, but I picked up the tune and joined him. It was a lullaby he used to sing to me at night.

Something emboldened in me. I don't know if it was me, the song, my father, or what? But I could feel an angry storm brewing inside me and it replaced any fear that I might have had.

I released my dad's other hand and pressed the key into his hand. I looked him in the eye hard and an understanding past between us. We were going to fight our way out of here. Together. Father-daughter. We would not depend on others to talk things out on our behalf and decide our fate. We would not relay on vampires to sneak back in and sniff us out like blood hounds or fight for our release. We would take charge or die trying.

I spun on my heels so quick and so hard that I am surprised that I didn't spin out and eat the dusty floor. I wobbled a bit, but before Gary could react or I could topple, I kicked him in the groin and followed through by stomping hard onto his foot and leaning my fall into him. In the same motion, I brought the palm of my hand into his nose. I heard the distinctive crack of bone. He folded like a cheap suit and crumbled to the floor. I fell right on top of him. In the process, my face grazed the corner of an end table and my skin split apart just below the ear. A thin line of blood trickled onto my lip.

Gary grabbed me by the hair. "Why are you doing this? Look at this place it's a library. You would love it here."

I ignored his words and concentrated on how to defeat him or at least hold him off until my dad could free himself. I could hear chains rattling behind me and hoped Chuck was close to finishing. I couldn't fight off Gary, a Nephilim, by myself. I wasn't sure I could do it even with my dad's help. I jabbed my elbow into Gary's throat and he let go of my hair. I then used his chest to push off. He grabbed my wrist this time and thrust a syringe into my arm. I pulled back, but the damage was already done. I'd been stabbed.

"What? What did you do?" I stammered, clawing at my arm as if I could squeeze the substance back out. "And why?"

"Why?" Gary mused. He let me go and scooted himself out from under me. He looked like a crab crawling backwards as he inched his away from me on his arms and dragged his legs and feet past me. "Robert's easy. He just wants his friend back. But me. I want something else. I'm sick of these were-apes guarding and monitoring the vortexes. Who do they think they are anyways? This kidnapping plan will set a rift between Nephilims and Bigfoots and maybe the Bigfoot types will just leave."

I looked at him as if he were crazy. What on earth could he possibly be thinking taking on a whole organization on his own? And why? He was being so selfish. He was shaking now or maybe that was me. I blinked my eyes trying to focus them better on his shifting form. When I opened eyes for a final time, the image of Gary got fuzzy and blurred all together.

I held out my hand in front of me. It looked like a giant blub of gum floating underwater. I opened my eyes wider, but that action only made my head hurt. I wobbled a bit as I reached a hand to my temples. I was now feeling woozy.

"Are you okay?" My father was by my side, holding me up.

"Not sure if it is the drugs of whatever he stabbed me with or his crazy talk, but no I don't feel so good."

"What did you give her?" Chuck's voice was low and harsh.

I shuttered.

"This isn't personal," Gary replied. "This is business."

"It sound more like you are starting a war," Chuck corrected Gary.

The voices of Chuck and Gary then blended together as they talked over one another, but then I noticed a third voice and it startled me enough that my vision cleared. I turned to face the direction from where the new voice came. Maybe we had help. My heart sank as quickly as it rose though. Standing in the door frame was Robert and he did not look happy.

"I trusted you, Gary. But you lied to me. I heard everything you just said. You've been using me. Haven't you?" Robert said his eyes were like 0s, but his mouth was drawn tight like a thin line.

Gary laughed. "You are so gullible."

Robert's brows furrowed, but his blue eyes looked like crushed glass. "But I trusted you. I've handed the vampires over to the Order and I've just sedated my best friend all because of you."

Gary laughed again. It wasn't his usually jovial laugh either. It was hard and cruel like a diamond drill bit biting stone. Gary flicked the syringe in his hand across the room. "That wasn't a medicine to sedate. It was poison designed to destroy blood. It simulates the effect of a vampire draining blood from its victims. Bella and Ben will die and we will blame it on the vampires." Gary then turned to me. "I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't want to do this to you, but when you attacked me, I had to stop you or you'd have ruined my plans."

Chuck held me in his arms. "You must give us the antidote. Your plans are unraveling now. You have lost, but don't make Ben and Bella die for it."

Gary laughed again. "My plans haven't failed. Do you see any vampires here to stop me? They are outside with were-apes right now and can't stop me. Bella is in no condition to do much more then sit there and drool as she dies. And you and Robert are not strong enough to fight a Nephilim like me."

I flopped out of my dad's arm and took a swipe at Gary. Gary caught me and pulled me into his chest like a shield. He stepped back so that he was now leaning against the fireplace. Robert and my dad froze, but I could see the wheels turning in their head. An attack was coming and I could sense it. But maybe that was just the drug messing with me.

The drug was really making me woozy now. I leaned into Gary and whispered something to him. I don't think he could understand me because I couldn't understand a word that was coming out of my mouth. I realized then I was speaking gibberish.

Gary didn't respond, but he held me so tight, I felt as if the air inside me was going to pop out of my chest. I couldn't fight anymore. I could barely move. But I could still talk. And I did even though I had very little breath now. My gibberish turned sing-songy.

Gary's grip loosened. I stopped singing and pulled away, but he pulled me right back into his bone crushing arms.

Robert and my dad argued. I couldn't hear their words as the sound drifted in and out, but as I listened to the tone of Chuck's voice, I remembered something he said to me. Swans sing when they die. Was this my swan song? Was I dying?

I couldn't die; I didn't have time. Besides I had a mess to clean up first. I stumbled a bit as I shifted my weight. _Stupid drug_ I thought to myself. _It's messing with me_.

Shapes and colors swam around my field of visions like I was floating above a coral reef. I reached out to touch them to see if they were real. The colors were so bright now that I sung just for them. Gary loosened his grip again and I slipped onto something hard and cold. The jolting impact knocked some sense into me. I was on the floor and I was singing.

Gary tried to grab me, but it was like he was trying to catch air. He couldn't make his hand close around me. He was too weak. Then I remembered my mom and her power. Maybe my singing was causing him to grow weaker. Maybe like sirens before me I could lead Gary to his death. I didn't want him to die, but I had to save my loved ones. Even though I felt foolish, I continued to sing because it seemed to help.

My vision blurred again as I sang. Gary was just a blob again. A blob that was getting bigger as the voices were raising over mine. I sang louder in response. The voices were yelling now. One voice. Two voices. Three voices. Four voices. The blob before me split into two. No three. Then the blobs were all over the place, but the voices were still ringing. I stopped singing to listen.

My vision cleared a little. Robert was on the ground next to me. I crawled to him. It felt funny to crawl. My vision blurred again, but I reached out and touched something soft and squishy. I thought it might be him. "Robert'" I whispered.

Nothing.

My head was swimming now and the blobs above me were yelling. All the noise was maddening so I just sang. It made me feel better, but breathless. I was too weak to sing for long even though it made me stronger and seemed to make the blobs formulate into shapes. I lay on the cold floor just taking in breath after breath. I rolled over on to my back. My vision cleared to the oddest nightmare.

Mr. Black had Gary stuffed in the prison and was shutting the shelves.

"Where is the antidote, Gary?" My dad shouted. Chuck had his hands around the base of Gary's neck and was shaking the boy. "Don't let my daughter die. Tell us where the antidote is."

Gary's head folded to his chest. "There is no antidote. She and Ben will die. The vampires will be blamed. A war will break out and the Nephilims will once again have full control over time travel. This didn't go exactly as I had planned, and for that I am sorry, but at least Nephilims will be masters of travel again."

My stomach churned. _Ben and I were going to die?_

I wanted to vomit, but I noticed that I was touching something. I looked to my left. It was Robert. I was touching Robert. He was lying on the floor next to me either unconscious or dead. I shook him.

"Robert? Robert?" I shook him again.

Nothing.

Mr. Black was by my side. He took Robert into his arms to rouse him.

"Bella? Bella?" My dad knelt beside me and took my head into his arms.

I wanted to respond to my dad, but the singing had taken a toll on my voice.

"How you are, Bella?" Mr. Black was holding and shaking Robert but looking at me. I could see concern written all over his face. He looked from me to Robert.

My dad's hands were all over my face; feeling my forehead and wiping sweat off my brow. "You don't look so good."

"He gave me a shot of poison," I mumbled.

"Yes," Mr. Black said.

"Is there a cure?" Robert was awake now and frantic. He clawed at Mr. Black's arm as he tried to sit up. "We can't let them die. I'm so sorry. I thought it was something to put you both to sleep. Oh, please let there be a cure."

"Gary said there wasn't a cure, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. I don't know what the drug is, but I do know one method for expelling toxic chemicals in living creatures."

"What?" My dad looked to his friend with hope burning in his eyes.

"Two things are needed. Music and Time traveling. But the second method, time travel, is having problems. I can't guarantee it'll work."

I furrowed my brow. "How does time traveling help? And music?" My words were still slurred, but I my articulation was improving and so was my vision. Maybe I wasn't so bad off after all. I tried to move, but I couldn't. I was so weak that I don't think the others even noticed I was trying to sit up.

"Well. The time traveling part must be done by a Nephilim. We need a really high speed frequency. Generated by a Nephilim running the vortex and we need music. Lyres are known to work. Certain voices might help."

They looked at me.

My dad stroked his chin. "Bella's voice might work."

Mr. Black nodded. "But we also need time travel which isn't reliable. And," he looked at me, "it doesn't look like we have much time."

Robert sat up. "So time travel might save them?"

"Yes," Mr. Black replied. "But like I said it isn't working-"

"The Order has been using crystals to mess with the ley lines," Robert replied. "You just need to reset them."

Mr. Black and Chuck looked at one another.

"I'll get someone on it right away," Mr. Black promised, "But let's get Ben and Bella out of here."

"What about changing them into vampires then?" Robert cradled his head as if he were nursing a headache. "I would do anything to keep Ben alive – and Bella too."

Mr. Black looked away as if he didn't want to face that possibility. "Yes, that would help, but no one wants that."

"But we don't want them dead." My dad cradled me in his arms.

Mr. Black didn't speak at first, but then slowly said what he had too. "Some would argue against that. Like the Volturi."

My head was spinning so much now that my stomach felt queasy. I leaned over on my side and expelled the contents of my breakfast. As I looked at bits of kolache, I'd wished my vision would blur yet again. I looked away, but wished I hadn't. The others looked even more worried than I felt.

"We need to get Ben," Robert said. He got to his feet without any help. "I was tricked. I was told the stuff was sedatives. I gave Ben a shot too. And then we will talk with the were-apes. I'll tell them the truth. And . . . . I'm really sorry."

"I'll help," a voice as deep and strong as Ben's wafted down the tunnel like corridor. Ben's father was marching down the hall like warrior on a mission. His fists balled and unballed as he neared the room. His face was a mask of anger and fur sprouted along the edges of his jaw. "I've heard enough. Robert may have been tricked, but he's still not trusty worthy." He shook a fist at Robert as he thundered across the floor. "Where's Ben? Where's my son?"

"In the next room." Robert replied. His voice cracked, but then he cleared it, "Can you take care of Ben then? I will go clear things up with the Order. I promise. I know I really screwed up, but I'll do whatever it takes to save my friend."

The balding man from earlier marched down the hallway after Ben's father. "Come with me, Robert. Like you, I was also tricked by Robert, but I've heard the whole thing." He held up a walkie-talkie and waved for all to see. "Together we will have the vampires exonerated and released. You others follow us when you can. We will help, however, we can. Your vampire friends have been persuasive so far. I just came back here to see how I could help. The discussions have gone well, but knowing that we have all been tricked can only solidify our working relationship don't you think?"

No one knew what to say. Robert passed by Mr. Gibbons and approached the balding man. Mr. Gibbons glared at Robert and the older gentleman. He had his fist balled at his side and I could see that he was struggling to reign in his anger. "You said that my son is in this room?" Mr. Gibbons tapped the door beside him.

Robert edged passed Mr. Gibbons and nodded.

As Robert passed, Mr. Gibbons threw open the door with such force that it banged into the wall and splintered the paint. Bursting into the other room like . . . well . . . Bigfoot, Mr. Gibbons hammered into the room like a dark mask and an malicious phantom. Judging from the clipped sound of his feet, he went straight for his son.

"Let's get Bella out of here," Mr. Black said. He and Chuck worked together to get me on my feet.

"I need to see Ben first," I demanded.

The two men didn't argue with me, but instead propped me on their shoulders and led me to the next room. I shuddered as I say the splintered wall knowing full well the anger that had placed it there.

My eyes of course brushed past the bruised wall and unto Ben's lifeless form. Tears welled in my eyes to see him so crumpled and defeated.

He lay on the floor next to the door as if he'd tried to make it out, but couldn't. Mr. Gibbons knelt on the floor next to his son. Thank the gods the door had missed him by mere inches.

"Is he. . ." I clutched at my throat and tried to go to him. My dad held onto me or otherwise I'd probably have fallen. I palmed tears from my eyes as I tried to view him better.

"No, just unconsciousness." My dad assured me as he readjusted my weight now that I was shifting so much.

Mr. Black scooped me into his arms. "Chuck, you should help Mr. Gibbons with Ben. I will take Bella. Looks like we better hurry and get them to the vortex. I don't like the way either one of them looks, but I think the drug is effecting Ben more than it is Bella."

"Ben?" I held a hand out in his direction.

"It'll be okay, Bella, but we need to hurry," Chuck squeezed my shoulder and then eft my side to help Ben.

"Ben," I repeated, but my voice was not much more than a whisper.

"Trust me, Bella. We are going to do everything we can to save him," Mr. Black said as he took me into his arms and stepped towards the door. "But we need to hurry. We are going to need your help and we need you as strong as possible are all may be lost. Please try to rest. Especially your voice."

I thought about protesting, but I knew he was right. I couldn't help if I wasn't strong enough. I had to rest. I settled into Mr. Black's arms and marveled at his Nephilim strengthen as I nuzzled even further into him.

Mr. Black smelled funny – like leather and licorice. It was a smell of olden times and suddenly he seemed very grandfatherly. I relaxed a little knowing that I was in such good hands. Mr. Black didn't have the grace and speed that either Edwards or Alice had, but it was pretty darn close. Why, he was such a nice and warm ride that I drifted in and out of consciousness as we walked through the mansion and out onto the grassy lawn.

A crowd had gathered at the entrance and a heated debate occurred. For every friend or foe surrounding me now, a storm cloud gathered in the distance. I could smell rain in the air and wished that it would pour and that the rain would wash all our sins away.

The smell of cotton candy alerted me to the presence of my vampire friends though. They were by my side as I slid from Mr. Black into Alice's arms. Words were being spoken, but I could only pick out pieces. Vortex. Crystals. Ley lines. Jacob. Lyre. Run. Hurry.

I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry. Alice's hard hand brushed across m

y forehead like a stone tablet. The chill brought relief to my churning insides so I nestled more into her cold touch. The world was spinning around me, but I felt so comfortable in Alice's strong arms.

More words passed, but there was only two voices this time. Time. Change. Crystals. Storm.

I guess everything had been sorted out and plans made because the next thing I knew, Alice was off and running. Or maybe she'd already been running. I couldn't keeping track of time or even what was going on. I was sad that plans were being made for me once again. It seemed that I was a terrible hero and was in fact the one that needed saving.

I cursed myself. I was worthless. Absolutely worthless. I had caused all these problems and couldn't even find a way to fix them. And now the love of my life was going to pay the price for my mistakes. I was humbled and broken now. Tears welled in my eyes, but even through the tears, I noticed that it was dark and rainy now. I smiled because I had wanted the rain. I wanted it to wash away my sins. Rain fell like a powdery mist. Again I smiled, the cold drops felt nice.

"Bella?"

It was Ben's voice. My eyes snapped open and I turned towards the sound. Clear as day I could see my two favorite angels: Ben and Edward. With Ben dangling in Edward's arms, they almost looked like the running version of one of my favorite statues – The Pieta.

"Ben," I replied and tried to reach out to him, but my arms were like spaghetti.

Ben didn't reply.

"Ben?" I tried again. Ben closed his eyes, but smiled. He lay so helpless in Edward's arms. "Alice, I'm worried."

"It'll be okay, Bella," Alice replied, but I could tell from the tone of her voice she didn't believe that. "But please just rest and save your voice, dear."

"Can you tell me what's going on at least?" I asked.

Alice kept her answer short, but filled me in. She was completely honest about it all. I knew she wasn't lying, but I suspected she was omitting some things. "Your dad plans to meet us at Ellington, but has already called ahead. He had his crew remove the time traveling machine so that we can make full use of the vortex by relaying solely on Nephilim speed. The Order of the Rose has told us what they've done to sabotage travel and your dad's time traveling coworkers are using crystals to recalibrate the vortex as we speak. Jacob and Rachel will meet us at the vortex also. One of them is needed to play certain musical chords and the other to run really fast."

She jumped over something and landed in a puddle, but she was so fast, we were hardly sprayed. The rain kept pouring, but it was a good thing. Only in the cover of darkness could we run like this in the open. Otherwise we'd have to take a car which even speeding can't compete with Edward or his shortcuts.

"Why are you and Edwards so worried? Aren't we going to make it? And if it comes down to a choice, please pick Ben. Even if you don't agree, please pick Ben and not just because I love him, but because it could start a war."

Alice hushed me with a finger. "Don't talk like that."

"Alice," I struggled in her arms, but it was no use, my body wasn't mine to command.

"No one wants to turn either you or Ben into vampires. We really want this expulsion thing to work. But here's the thing. Edward can't be around you if we have to turn you into a vampire. The act of feeding and the smell of your blood, may be too much for him to handle. But that's not the real problem. The real problem is the Volturi. I don't know why, but I've had a vision of you both becoming vampires and if we do that, the Volturi will not be happy. They will consider that you and Ben would be in alliance with us and Jacob. They would then consider us all a threat. Bella, they will think that my family is creating an army of our own. The Volturi will attack before our 'army' grows any stronger. So I don't think we can change either of you safely."

I closed my eyes and thought about what she'd just said. The Volturi don't like the Cullens, the Order of the Rose don't like the Nephilims and the Grimm Bothers, Gary didn't like Bigfoots. Certainly a lot of hatred was circling time and space around me. I thought of Romeo and Juliet. Ben and I were going to die. I just knew it. We had rushed in like fools and now we were going to die. Then I worried what if only he died. I would be forever like the narrator of the poem the Raven. Nevermore. I would see Ben nevermore. But I would love him always.

My heart sank. I couldn't let this happen. I opened my eyes again for a moment I could only see shifting blobs of pink. I almost panicked, but as I took in a hiccupped breath, I saw Ben plain as day. He didn't look well at all, but at least I could see that he was still breathing.

Ben's beautiful chest heaved in and out as if it were made of a substance so fragile that the slightest movement would split it apart. I hated to see him like that. It was then my vision blurred to blobs again. Unicorn pink smears of color shifting in the wind. I tried to focus, but as I did darkness enveloped me. I could feel it. I was slipping away. I hated the feeling. We had been so close too. Darkness came and then I was gone.


	16. Chapter 25 - Bella's Swan Song

Chapter 25 – Bella's Swan Song

"Bella? Bella?" Alice's twinkle of voice was so urgent I opened my eyes to pasty colors once more. "We made it to Ellington, Bella. We made it. We are almost there. Stay with us, okay? Stay with us."

Rain sprinkled my forehead and washed over my eyes like a cleansing mist. With the back of my hand, I swiped the moisture clear from my eyes. I could see clearer now. Shapes were more like a Monet painting now and with each breath, the image focused further.

The sky above me was still dark, but the rain was just a drizzle. Alice hopped the fence and kept close to the tree line, her pace, while still quick, was slower now. These woods must have been cleared before for most of the underbrush was gone. The saplings at least were gone and the new growth was low to the ground and easily trampled.

Six white vans were parked by one of the hangers in a long line. I could feel Alice stiffen, so I studied the scene even more carefully. My vision blurred for a second, but righted itself after several blinks.

Two dozen stone white men and women clad in long, dark robes of grey and black stood in line as if they were waiting for us.

"The Volturi are back," Edward growled. He clutched Ben closer to his chest.

"Don't worry about them, Edward," Alice warned, "But do be nice."

I noticed Alice drew me in closer too. I could smell her sweet scent and the warmth of her breath as she darted through the last of the trees and onto the grassy patch separating us from the road.

Three sports cars were parked just down the lane. I recognized the shiny red corvette to be Emmett's. "Oh, thank goodness. The rest of your family must be here," I sighed.

As we approached the line of robes, I saw that just around the pristine vans another group congregated. That group included even more of the robe clad vampires and the remainder of the Cullens.

Alice pushed past the first line of Volturi. "Ugh. Step aside. We are trying to save lives here. We really don't have time for this."

"I thought you said be nice," Edward said.

"Believe me, I am." Alice continued walking.

Edward followed in his familiar feline fashion. His shoulders brushed past a burly man with jet black hair and eyes as red as a coke can.

A familiar vampire stepped in front of us. I recognized him from the photographs Edward had given me. It was Felix. His red eyes narrowed and he cracked his knuckles as if he were ready for a fight.

"Let us pass, Felix." Edward's voice was so filled with tension and malice that I shivered to the core. I'd never heard such anger from him before now. His face was composed as always, but he finished his words with a low snarl.

"I don't think so," Felix replied, the intensity of his voice matched that of Edwards. His face wasn't so blank; it looked angry, but his eyes twinkled as if he were also delighted. He wanted a fight.

I was trembling now and goosebumps exploded across my forearm like gang busters. But maybe the chill was because I was wet. Or maybe this is what it felt like to die. Maybe the blood was leaving my body. Slowly being destroyed. It didn't matter how cold I was now for I could at least see clearly. I also knew what had to be done now. I just needed to find the strength to do it. I had to save Ben. My life wasn't as important as his. We were on the brink of a story tale war and Ben's death would be the catalyst.

I looked at the robed vampires. They were each so lovely in their own way and yet so wonderfully dangerous. I had no intention of becoming one though. I stirred in Alice's arms, but I couldn't do much more than hold up a hand. I cleared my throat, however, and several heads turned in my direction.

"No one wants to turn me into vampire. And I don't want to be one. But we do have to save that boy," I pointed towards Ben. "Even if that means-"

"Trying unconventional methods." Alice interrupted me. She ignored the others and continued walking forward. We were now in a position where we were surrounded by robes. Alice didn't seem to mind though.

Carlisle stepped around the nearest van and joined us. He placed the back of his hand on my forehead as he studied my eyes one after the other. He wore a guarded, but friendly smile. Esme was by his side. Her sweet heart-shaped face looked so calm, but her eyes betrayed her nerves. Her eyes were dark and dangerous as if she were preparing to fight. Carlisle removed his hand from my forehead, but slipped his hand around my wrist as if he were checking for a pulse. He graced me with a fragile, but reassuring smile.

"You are doing great," Carlisle said, but his ember colored eyes had a ruined, burnt out look to them.

"Of course they are doing great. They are tough," Jasper replied. He had a soft southern draw that evoked warmth and comfort. Something about his presence put me at ease at once. I also felt so much stronger.

Craning my neck I rolled a little in Alice's hold, but she held me steady and rocked me like a baby. The gentle vibrations also strengthened me.

Jasper rounded the front of the van. He wore a smug smile as if he were enjoying himself, but it was Emmett, with his arms around Rosalie, who really seemed to be delighted in the possibility of a fight.

Carlisle walked over to Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie. Carlisle stopped in front of the van and placed his hand on the hood. He then lifted his chin and addressed both sets of Volturi at once. He extended his arms in a welcoming gesture and turned as he spoke so that he could face each of the Volturi. "We are so fortunate that you are concerned about the well-being of my friends and family. But as you can see, we are doing our best to save their lives. Unfortunately, time is running out. We ask that you let us go in peace and do what we must to save our friends."

One of the Volturi vampires with cloudy red eyes and skin that looked like an onion peel whispered to the Jane. Jane nodded, but her expression didn't change. Once the cracked mica skinned vampire had finished his private conversation with her, Jane replied. "Those two cannot be made it vampires." She pointed directly at me and smiled.

"We agree that turning them into vampires should be avoided, but if it is the only way to save them, then that option should be considered." Carlisle said.

The odd skinned vampire spoke, "We disagree. They would be too dangerous."  
"We have been friends a long time, Aros," Carlisle said, "I wouldn't ever hurt you or anyone. You know that. I would vouch for my new fledgings' behavior and ensure that they acted properly in accordance to vampire law and to my own. You know that my family has always enjoyed a peaceful lifestyle. We have no ambitions to run an organization such as yours or to even compete with it."

Aros looked at Carlisle and gave a just the hint of a smile. "Glad to hear that you are still as responsible as ever Carlisle. We have been friends for such a long time. We will be happy to stay and watch just in case you need our assistance. "

"Of course," Carlisle replied, but we all knew what Aros meant. He'd intervene if necessary.

I really didn't want this to come down to a fight. I struggled again and threw my leg over the front of Alice's arm and then another. "I'm strong enough to walk now," I said.

She hesitated and then set me down. She kept her arms under my shoulder for support.

"You all know what I am. I am not human, but that doesn't mean you have to fear me. Please believe me when I say I do not wish to become a vampire. Above all else I am not looking to start a war. All you . . . creatures are so fracture and divided. Maybe you need a system to come together. At least some sort of council. You all want the same things. Privacy. I don't think any group wants to be exposed. Maybe that's something you can work on, but right now, we have a life to save. I fear that if that boy over there isn't saved, repercussions will come and I don't want that. Do you?"

Esme came to my side and slipped an arm under my own. Together, Alice, Esme, and I walked towards the time traveling vortex building. I stumbled once or twice before Alice whisked me off my feet and into the building. In my stupor, I heard the two of them whispering about my condition and my mouthiness.

"Sorry," I said. "Maybe the drug is making me a little more candid, or maybe it's the fact we have too little time to worry about this. A decision has to be made. And action taken."

My words were slurring now, but the others seemed to understand me well enough.

Esme rubbed my cheek. "The poison does seem to have a strange effect on you. Not only are you in and out of it half the time, but your strength comes and goes. You are doing better with it than Ben. . ."

"Is he okay?" I struggled to get out of Alice's arms so that I could get a better look at Ben.

"It's not good, Bella." Alice's eyes were dark and brooding. She didn't seem like she wanted to let me down or to see Ben. She hesitated for a moment and then she set me down so I could see Ben. Her arms were still wrapped around me and supported most of my weight.

Alice was right. Ben looked terrible. His skin was pale as paper, but laced with hint of green. His lids were drawn shut and looked as if they'd started to sink into his skull. I didn't think he'd make it.

"Please save him."

I limped into the center of the building supported by Alice and Esme. The Cullens and a few of the Volturi followed us. I felt as if were in a surreal funeral procession and I didn't like it. I glared over my shoulder at the Volturi, but quickly looked back at Ben. His skin was so pale that I just knew his blood was drying up like water on a hot pan.

Edward laid Ben into the center of the vortex which at the moment was nothing more than a light gray concrete floor with a series of interloping brightly painted circles of primary colors. I could see nuts and bolts trailing from the center of the room to the corner where the machine that had brought me here was stashed as if it had been pushed out of the way in haste. Chuck's coworkers must have done that just for us. Or perhaps it had been the Cullens or the Nephilims.

Alice brought me to the vortex and set me next to Ben. She then placed Ben into my arms so that at least his head was on my lap. As Alice and Edward stepped away, Ben opened his eyes. I took hold of his hand.

"Everything is going to be okay." I said.  
He nodded.

He really didn't look good. His eyes were veined with red, and his skin was now a blueish white. Little beads of sweat the size of a pin head dotted his forehead like air bubbles in a frying pancake.

He tried to speak, so I lowered my head to his face, but all I could hear was a soft moan.

"Bella." Jacob burst through the door and knocked aside Felix as he entered the room.

Felix growled, but Jacob flew right past him and was by my side almost a fast Edward would have been. "Oh, my sweet, Bella. We're going to rock this place." He held up a lyre and tried to smile, but faltered when he looked at me.

I know what he saw when he looked at me - death. I tried to smile back at him, but it was useless. My smile was weak and I knew it.

I looked at the lyre in his hands and couldn't help but to think about the story of Orpheus on his way out of Hades. I felt the same way. Death was all around me.

Jacob stepped into the circle with me and Ben. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. His lips were both warm and cold against my skin. I guess the vampire temperature hadn't completely robbed him of warmth. "You and I are going to make some beautiful music together, okay? And everything is going to be fine."

"Unless you have to turn Ben into a vampire." I joked, but wished that I hadn't.

Felix snarled so loud that even some of the Volturi jumped.

"Oh give it rest Felix. It was only a joke," I replied. I don't know why I was so cocky. It had to be the poison. Or maybe I was still so mad at myself for being so stupid and useless. My go-to-hell attitude was about all I had left now.

I then turned to Jacob. "Are you sure you are up to this?" I was scared because this would test if he was in control of his new vampire desires. If he had to turn us into vampires, would he have the willpower to stop feeding or would he drain us dry?

For the first time, I noticed that Rachel was there too. She stepped into the circles with us. Her long hair was pulled into a tight bun on the top of her head. She was dressed fashionable, and had on a pair of black stilettos. As if she were aware of my appraising her, she replied, "Don't worry. I may not have my running shoes on, but I will run fast enough of to power this vortex, especially if you and my geeky little brother here can manage to play some decent music."

"Umm," I stammered.

She laughed. "I'm only kidding. You are not the only one who can joke around here are you?"

I blushed. She was mocking my poor attempt at humor.

She threw her arms over her head and interlocked her hands. She stretched and twisted side to side until the bones in her back made a loud popping sound. "Ah much better." She let go of her hands and then shook out her arms. "Is everyone ready?"

I held tight to Ben as he drifted in and out of consciousness. I nodded. I didn't trust myself not to say something stupid, plus I wanted to save my voice.

"Ok. Here we go. Hold on tight. Things will get bumpy!" Rachel rubbed the base of her neck, but winked at me.

Jacob held up the lyre and strummed it lightly as Rachel paced the outer circle. I thought it odd that she was only walking, but didn't dare say anything else. I just seemed to be making everyone mad the moment I opened my mouth to speak. Shoot, I was making myself mad even.

Rachel still paced the circle like caged tiger, but she looked at me expectantly. Jacob, meanwhile, ran his fingers across the lyre. They both stared at me as if they were waiting for me to do something.

"Oh, right. The singing." I had forgotten my role. I didn't know what to sing though. I was at a loss and racked my brain as I listened to the melody of the lyre.

Jacob just strummed lightly, but I didn't recognize the tune. Rachel circled her shoulders as she continued her laps. I couldn't think of what to sing. It had to be something both Jacob and I knew, but that was a problem. I didn't know many songs here. All I could think of was falling. And then a song clicked. It was kind of a girl song so I wasn't sure if Jacob would know it.

"Do you know Cyndi Lauper's _Time After Time_?"

Jacob smiled. "I do."

He changed the tune and played a round while I warmed up to the idea of singing. Rachel still lapped us over and over again. She was lightly jogging now. The silky material of her long gray pants swished like hands rubbing together and for some reason it made me think of Pontius Pilate dusting his hands clean of any sins. Was this my attempt to absolve myself of sins?

I pushed the thoughts aside and looked into Ben's face. It was so peaceful at the moment. He was resting, but I knew that he wasn't sleeping. He was slipping away from me and possibly forever. I choked back tears and straightened myself up. I closed my eyes so that I wouldn't be distracted by all the desperate faces surrounding me. Some were wishing me success; others failure. I couldn't think about them though. None of this was for them. This was all for Ben. I didn't care what happened to me, but I did care what happened to Ben. I had to save him. We had to save him.

At last I found my voice. I sang.

My voice warbled at first and sounded a bit like a scratched record, but I pressed on. As the lyrics progressed, my voice got stronger and clearer. I sang for love and for life. It wasn't easy. My mouth felt dry and my lungs were struggling to keep up. I closed my eyes and dug deep. My voice trembled, but the words still flowed from my mouth in time to the music.

I kept my eyes closed because I was feeling woozy again. I didn't have much air left in me now, but I knew I had to keep singing. I laid back and rested my head on the cold concrete. I smiled. The cool smooth floor felt nice. I imagined that I was resting on Edward's chest that way the hard floor didn't feel so impersonal. It was hard to sing lying down though. My voice warbled again.

I opened my eyes and tried to sit back up, but I couldn't. I was too dizzy. The world around me was also dark.

 _Please let the darkness and dizziness be because of the vortex and not the poison_ I thought to myself.

Jacob's music was faint, but I could still hear it. I closed my eyes again and followed the melody with my voice. Even though I felt lighter now, I could feel Ben pressing into my legs and myself into the concrete. I squeezed Ben's hands, but my body seemed different. I felt as if I were made of smoke. I squeezed Ben's hand again, or tried to, but I could no longer feel Ben. I opened my eyes, but it was still too dark to see. Panic bubbled in my stomach and I thought I was going to be sick. Where was Ben? Was he still here with me or had something happened. I pumped my hand again in a squeezing motion, but again I felt nothing.

I wanted to call out to him to make sure he was still there, but I wasn't sure he was even there or if he'd even respond. Plus, I was afraid I'd break the magic we were working so hard to create. I had to keep singing, even in the dark void.

My body tingled all over. I hoped that was the effects of our make-shift cure and not the approach of death. I still tried to sit up, but my body felt so light. All I could do was lay on the floor. I sang louder as I floated along with the music. What else could I do now? I was singing my swan song now. Death was here. I sensed it. I kept singing and hoping that I had enough dying breath to at least save Ben. This had to work. I concentrated on the words and Ben. Then I thought about my father. He'd be so upset if he lost me. I had to do what I could to save Ben first and then me.

 _Please let this work_ I prayed. _Please, oh please, oh please!_

Something shifted against my leg. Was that Ben? I pumped my hand again and something fragile squeezed back. It was Ben. I'd know his touch anywhere. I smiled because I could feel Ben's hand in mine and it felt warmer. My smiled deepened.

 _Its working_ I thought.

I started the song over again. My vision cleared some. Thin lines of dark clouds swirled around my face like bear claw marks against a tree. Through the spinning sections I could see Ben's face. His eyes were closed, but twitching. He was at least alive. I hoped he was okay and wasn't in pain.

My heart burst in my chest. I had to save him. Even though we'd has such a short time together, I'd grown to care for him, so much so that I was willing to trade my life for his. It was weird and stupid, but that's how I felt. Our lives were intertwined. Star-crossed even.

I looked over at Ben. His whole body was twitching. I didn't like seeing him like that. I stopped singing.

"It's not working, Jacob. Ben's dying. Jacob, do you hear me? You need to turn Ben into a vampire. He's dying." I held Ben's quivering body in my lap. I petted his hair. "Hang in there, Ben. Help is coming."

Ben opened his eyes and stared at me. His whole body trembled so much that I was now shaking. "Kiss me, Bella."

I lowered my head and kissed him on the head.

He smiled, but motioned for his lips.

I did as he requested. He closed his eyes and then his body went limp.

"Ben?" I shook him. "Ben?"

Nothing. He was still breathing, but he wouldn't respond.

I started to cry. "Please, Ben. Wake up."

I looked at his face. It looked exhausted, and yet still so beautiful. I was afraid again. I didn't want to have to live my life the way the narrator had to live his life in Edgar Allen Poe's _The Raven_. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life pining for Ben. I was desperate now. I clung to Ben, but knew I couldn't just give up. I just couldn't. I had to try again. I sang harder this time and with more determination. I could hear the sorrow in my voice though. I thought of Romeo and Juliet. Will we both die? Would our death bring war? Or would our death bring about peace? Would the others see how silly they all are? That we should all just get along?

I was floating again – slipping away. Or at least it felt like it. I sensed death again. I took in a deep breath. I needed to stay grounded and to stay alive at least long enough to save Ben. But how? Love. I thought of love. Love always found away right? Even through time and distance or life and death. Love always freaking found away and I would too.

I sang with my heart and soul and thought only of Ben. This time I sang Berlin's _You Take My Breath Away_ because if he died, he would have taken my breath away forever.

Something bumped into me, but I ignored it as I sang. I felt movement again and even heard voices. Ben's long hair brushed against my arm. I could feel joy rising up inside of me. Did that mean he was okay? And then as if to answer me, I heard his voice. He was talking. My heart soured. That meant he was alive! That knowledge made me happier. I continued to sing even though my voice hurt. The vibrations around me grew more intense. My teeth rattled and my stomach churned. None of that mattered though. Ben was what mattered. I turned to face him.

Ben's face was a violent shade of green. He strained to sit up, but gave up and rolled over. He retched a couple of times and then threw up. Like a chain reaction, I too threw up. Again and again he threw up. I did so the same. I knew I was done singing. Either our plan worked or it hadn't. I held my stomach and hoped that I wouldn't throw up again.

"Bella, Bella."

I was still spinning around inside my head. I could see the others, but my vision was blurry and shaken.

"Bella?"

My dad now kneeling beside me. His hands on my head and back – supporting me.

"Bella, are you okay?"

My voice was raw, but I rasped. "I'm not sure. How's Ben?'

My vision sharpened as I thought of Ben. Chuck was speaking again, but the sound faded. I could see my dad and his big brown eyes, but I looked past him. At this point, I only had eyes for Ben who lay on the floor like a broken angel.

My heart thumped in my chest. "Ben?" My voice was still hoarse.

His mom and dad held him in their arms. Carlisle was on the floor next to him with his medicine bag and an IV bag that looked as if it contained blood. Ben was alive, but he looked reptilian green. He vomited again.

My stomach churned, but the blood within me boost me into action. I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees and crawled to him. "Is he okay?" I demanded. I wanted answers and nothing was going to stop me.

"Running tests to check on it," Carlisle replied as he jabbed a syringe into Ben's arm and extracted his blood. "But he's still alive now. That's very promising."

Ben vomited again.

"Bella." Chuck was by my side stroking my hair. "We think it worked." He smiled, "but the only way to know for sure is to run tests."

"He's going to be okay?" I asked. I was still confused.

"We think so," Chuck replied.

"And me?"

"Yes, you too."

I sat down beside Ben's mother and then turned to look at the others. The Volturi are were still there, but they looked less pissed off and even a little relaxed now.

"And no one was turned into a vampire?" Instinctively, I cupped a hand around my neck and checked for bite marks.

"No," Jacob passed his lyre to his sister and walked over to me. He had a grace to his walk that was all his own – something neither angelic nor devilish – something entirely Jacob. He knelt beside me and flashed me one of his Sun warming smiles. "We did it, Bella."

I looked at Carlisle. He was smiling too. "Ben's blood also smells clean, but I will still need to run tests." He then addressed Edward and Alice, "Can the two of you bring them back to our place while I keep them under observation? And probably give them a blood transfusion."

"Of course, Carlisle," Alice replied and her almond shaped eyes glinted with pleasure.

In a flutter of motions, I was once again cradled in her cold, hard arms. The scent of freshly baked pie washed over me as her smile widened to the apples of her cheek.

Ben must have been so wiped out that he didn't even protest to being carried by Edward. His pallid skin was no longer tinged with green, but his eyes while dark were dimmed slightly.

"I'm so glad that you are okay, Ben," I extended my arms so that I could touch his.

"With you around, I'm more than okay," Ben's voice sounded ragged, but I detected something akin to desire. He fumbled for my hand, but the gait of Alice and Edward didn't exactly match up. I suspected Edward was staying ahead of Alice on purpose as he exited the building. I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't really think about it. I just laid my head against Alice's cold arms and enjoyed the comfort she provided.

I must also have been exhausted and perhaps relieved because by the time we left the base, I'd drifted off to sleep.


	17. Chapter 26 - I fell in love again

Chapter 26 – I fell in love again last night

Monday, September 28, 1987

I woke up later in bed. Ben was in the next bed looking at me.

"Bella," his whole face lit up when he saw that I was awake. "Oh, Bella. I was so worried. I'm so glad you are awake. I've been so worried."

"Ben!" My voice was groggy. I sounded like a chain smoker. "Ben, are you okay?"

Ben smiled. "Yes, because of you and your friends. You saved me. You saved us, but I was so afraid for you. You've been out for so long. I thought maybe you were too exhausted from the efforts. I was worried you wouldn't pull through. Carlisle said you would, but I wasn't sure I believed him. Oh, Bella. I'm so happy you are alright." Throwing the covers off his bed, he got up to come to me, but tripped on the edge of the comforter that was still tangled around his right foot. Laughing, he stumbled into the chair beside my bed. He gathered my hand in his and kissed it.

"I guess I'm as clumsy as you now," he joked, but winked at me so that I knew he was only playing.

"Oh. God. You are terrible!" I mocked, but lips pulled up in a faint smile.

He sighed and drew my hand towards his chest. He felt so warm and alive. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest and could feel my own beating in rhythm to his. I wasn't sure where I was or what had happened, but I could see that Ben was more than alright. I could feel that he was alive and strong. I was curious to know where I was, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Ben to look around nor was that my first question.

"Are we cured then? Are we still normal?"

"Um? Normal?! No. We will never be normal." He grinned. He put my hand on his face. It was warm, but stubbly.

"Umm," my thoughts clouded a moment from being touched by him, "I mean are we still the same? Non-vampire?"

"Oh that. Yeah. We're non-vampire. And yeah, we're cured. No more poison. And we've both been giving blood transfusions. We aren't dying because like I said you saved us. Your beautiful voice saved us. See, I told you that you are amazing!" He placed my hand over his chest again and I could feel his heart beating. That strong, beautiful heart of his. It beat. He was alive and so was I.

I blushed. Not sure why I did though. I sat up and touched the edges of his bangs. His hair was soft – like that of puppy's. He had to sweep his head aside to look at me through the mass of hair.

He was still grinning at me and his smile touched his glinting eyes. "And because of some speech you made, the 'monsters' around us are all getting together to discuss things. You got the powers that be talking and thinking."

"Really?!" I sat up, so I could touch his hair and peel it from his face. I wanted nothing, not even his gorgeous hair, to cover his even hotter face.

"Yes. Really. Now, don't get your hopes up. I don't know if it'll create peace or anything, but a council is forming-"

"Good at least the lines of communication are being established."

"Exactly."

"And Bella?"

"Yes?!"

His smile grew wider. "The Order of the Rose has accepted us. You know the whole you and me thing."

"Wow! That's great news!" I removed my hand from his hair. "The best news!"

Ben nodded. "How could they not after you went through so much trouble to save me."

"Ben. You know I didn't really do anything."

"Bella. Shut up. You are amazing. Just accept it. You are special and the Order sees that now."

"Ben-"

He put his finger across my lips. "Shhh," he whispered.

He took me in his arms and held me. His lips brushed the top of my head. I felt dizzy, and would have swooned had it not been for his arms.

"I'm so proud of you. You are so strong."

"No," I shook my head, "Just crazy!"

"Oh, Bella," he sighed and brushed my hair from my face.

We sat like that for a long moment. His warm arms wrapped around me like a blanket of protection, but as he stroked my hair, all I wanted was to stay by his side forever. I was so relieved that his Order was going to accept me. I just hoped that everyone in our lives could be so open to our relationship. Then a thought occurred to me and I frowned.

"What about your friends, Gary and Robert?"

Ben's face hardened, "They are not my friends."

I looked away. I know that his anger wasn't directed at me, but it was still scary to see him angry, especially since I knew what he could turn into. Plus, I just didn't like to see him upset or in pain. I only wanted happiness for him.

"Hey, hey," Jacob entered the room with Alice and Edward behind him. "Sleeping Beauty is awake."

I sighed at his fairytale reference, but I could feel the corner of my lips pulling into a smile. How could I not smile?! Something about Jacob made me feel happy.

Edward stood by the door, his tall frame leaning just slightly, but Alice and Jacob came to the other side of my bed. Jacob was all smiles.

"How do you feel, Bella?" Alice asked, she bounced on the tip of her toes, as if she were expecting a surprise. Her pixie smile coaxed a smile from me as well.

"Good," I admitted. I could feel the full strengthening of a smile in the corners of my eyes as I thought about just how much my friends meant to me at the moment. I was clearly one very lucky girl to have such great friends.

Jacob nudged my shoulder with his beefy hand. "Of course you feel good. You are a fighter!"

Carlisle and Esme filtered through the door and past Edward. As their eyes met mine, they both brandished warm smiles.

"Glad our patients are awake and looking better," Carlisle said as his eyes flittered over Ben and then me. "I hope that you are comfortable enough at Casa Cullen. Just wanted to keep you closer for observation."

I was relieved to know where I was now, but with so many people staring at me now, I felt uneasy.

I diverted my eyes and noticed that Carlisle had a stack of papers in his hand.

"What's that? Reports?" I pointed towards the papers.

Carlisle moved so fast I didn't see it happen, but a stack of papers now rested on the nightstand and he had my free wrist in his hands checking my pulse.

"I studied your blood and isolated the poison. It wasn't as toxic as we first believed, but the substance was some pretty bad stuff. It could have killed you or at least left you with some pretty nasty side effects, but thankfully because we all worked together, we were able to lessen the potency of the substance." He let go of my wrist, but patted my hand. "You did well, Bella. And you made people think."

"So I heard," I smiled.

He smiled back. "Your health is improving, and you and Ben can leave tomorrow. Right now I think rest will be the best thing for the two of you. You have been through a lot."

"Do you think they will get much rest if they are both in the same room?" Jacob grinned. His lips parted slightly to give a chuckle and I noticed that he was impishly chewing on the edge of his tongue.

Ben growled, and Jacob's smile faltered for half a second before blossoming into a full blown smile followed by laugh. The sound of Jacob's laugh was fetching, but I was still thoroughly embarrassed by what he had said.

I blushed again like I normally do.

Edward covered his mouth with a hand as he did his best to hide a smile. For some reason that sick bastard loved it when I blushed.

"I think we can trust these two," Carlisle gave me a sharp look as if to say or else.

"I don't think they have much energy," Edward said. He now had both hands covering his mouth. Alice was across the room before I could blink. She punched Edward on the arm with so much force that he should have lost his arm, but of course he was unfazed.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Let them rest." He tried to sound professional, but I detected a jovial note to his tone.

"Come on, now. Out." He then ushered the others from the room and left Ben and I alone again.

Ben and I looked at one another and giggled.

"You know I really thought we were going to die." I said.

"Me too." He climbed into my bed and put his arms around me.

"I didn't want to be like Romeo and Juliet."

"Me either."

Then his lips found mine and we kissed. It was soft and tender, but took my breath away. His hands found the edges of my face and held me steady. My heart jumped like a pole vaulter and my blood sprinted straight to my head. I felt light headed again.

Ben must have sensed something, for he released me from the kiss.

"Why did you stop?" I blinked.

"You are not ready."

I shook my head. "I disagree."

He laughed. "Oh, Bella. I have the whole future left to kiss you."

I smiled. "Interesting choice of words."

He laughed again.

I took his hand in mine and played with his fingers. I watched my fingers race over his because I couldn't look at him as I asked my next questions. "So now what? Do you want to come to the future with me?"

"It doesn't matter. You are my future. End of story."

"Really?" I looked up.

He brushed my hair from my face and looked me in the eye. "Like you really have to ask. There are just some things in life that bond people together for eternity and I think near death experiences are at the top of the list."

I took his hand from my hair and wrapped it mine. "So Beauty and the Beast."

"A tale as old as time."

I yanked his arms and he toppled towards me. I met him in a kiss. My lips pulling away to declare my love.

"Ben-"

"I love you too, Bella Swan," Ben said as he caressed my chin with his finger.

"And you don't mind that I'm a monster?"

"You're angel!" I countered, "And I'd follow you anywhere."

"I'd walk through Hell with you."

"I think you already did."

I laughed, but his lips found mine again.

My heart soared. I had Ben. We were alive and safe. I didn't know what would happen from here on out, but I knew that the Order had agreed to leave us be and I was free to date Ben. And maybe just maybe my mom would be dancing at my wedding one day soon.

Ben pulled away one last time.

I furrowed my brows and pouted slightly.

He chuckled. "I have something for you." His voice was forced because he was still grinning at my puzzled expression.

"It better be more kisses," I replied and grabbed him by the collar as I tried in vain to pull back towards me.

He bit the corner of his lips and resisted my request. He shifted his weight away from me and turned towards our shared nightstand.

I let go of his shirt and folded my arms across my chest. I really wasn't wanting anything from him other than . . . well, him.

Smiling, he leaned back around and held up a cassette tape. "I made you mix tape."

"I'd rather have the kisses."

He laughed fumbled with a boom box on the nightstand and shoved the tape inside. He pressed play and a moment later the Forester Sisters' belted out the first song, _I Fell In Love Again Last Night._

He took my neck into his hands and leaned in so close to me that I could smell his cologne.

"You're the reason my heart keeps beating, Bella. You and you alone are the reason my heart keeps beating, and for that I love you." he whispered into my ear and then his nuzzling lips found mine once more.

The End. . . or is it?

No, actually, it is not the end just yet. Stay tune for one final chapter. Unless for some reason fans want more or the inner voices that are Ben and Bella still have a few words left to say.


	18. Chapter 27 - Here we go again

Monday, September 1, 2087 to Monday, September 7, 1987 (Labor Day)

Going back to the 1980s wasn't exactly going to be fun. And going to Houston wasn't going to be so hot either. Well, actually it was going to be hot. Oh, so very hot. And humid. And sticky. And mosquito infested. And . . . . bittersweet. And yet something else. Something was calling me from across the time and distance, but I didn't know what.

I scowled as I crammed my last acceptable t-shirt into my suitcase. Something about this seemed familiar. I couldn't place my finger on it though. My mother was helping me pack up my clothes for a trip back in time to stay with my father and complete an time traveling internship.

"Are you okay, Bella?" My asked as she brushed a lock of my brown hair out of my equally brown eyes. She looked sad and I knew that as she looked at me she couldn't be reminded of my father.

My stomach twisted at that thought. It was familiar somehow.

"Bella?" She tried again when I didn't respond. "You know you don't have do this if you don't want. Not now."

"Don't start on me, Mom."

Luckily, she didn't.

I bunched up my clothes even further and a perhaps a little too aggressively too for I succeeded in sliding my entire suitcase off my satin comforter and chipped my nail as I tried to stop it from falling onto the industrial gray tiled floor. I turned away so that my mother wouldn't see that I had chipped my nail.

I looked at my nail. Something about it seemed interesting. My thoughts were interrupted by my mother's laughter.

"Oh, Bella. You don't ever change."

I looked at my outfits that were now scattered across the floor and just hoped that I had enough. Most of my futuristic clothing would be out of place in the 1980s, but my mom and I managed to come up with something we hoped would be acceptable for the time period and yet comfortable enough for me. Most of my outfits were gray. I wanted it like that for some reason. It wasn't that it fit my mood. It was again something more. Something drew me to choose gray.

"You know you can stay with me even after I remarry. You've done it many times."

"Mom," I grabbed her small hand and gave it a little squeeze, "I'll have to take a time traveling internship soon. It might as well be now while you and Phil are settling into your new life together. It just make sense."

Tersely, she nodded. Not a single strand of her polished red hair moved from her sleek up-do. "I hate to see you go." She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.

"I know, but it won't be forever." I choked on those words though. Forever.

She set the handkerchief aside and then drew me into a bone crushing hug, "Did you remember to pack mosquito spray?"

"Yes," I assured her by pecking her on the cheek. I untangled myself from her hug and straightened out my gray sundress. I knew my mom liked to see me in dresses and I knew that it was going to be hot where I was headed. I sighed though. I was showing just a little too much skin and would probably just end up being a buffet for bugs the moment I hit emerged in Houston. I looked at the dress again though. It made me smile. Suddenly, and image of a tall, dark, and handsome man flashed across my brain, but just like that it was gone.

"Mom?" I smoothed a crease out of the skirt to my dress.

She looked at me with watery eyes, "Yes, Bella?"

"What do you know about time?"

She laughed and then I joined her. She, like me, didn't care too much on the mechanics of how things worked. "Not much. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, but I keep having visions. . . or feelings of déjà vu."

"And?"

"Well, some scientist theorize time is like a loop. I'm wondering if I've done this before. You getting married to Phil and me going to live with dad. . . and I think there is someone else very important that I am about to meet."

She smiled at me as she took my hand in her and then said, "Then you will be fabulous." She snapped her own perfectly manicured nails and one of her silver studded robots zipped up by suitcase and trundled it out of my room.

"Oh, Mom. You would say that." I angled my broken nail out of her sight.

"It's true," she smoothed my hair.

"Come on. Let's go before you get mushy," I said pulling her out of my room. I stumbled into the doorframe and we both giggled. I rubbed my shoulder as I shifted slightly to the left in an effort to pass through the door without further injury. My mom was still laughing at my clumsiness.

"I'm going to miss you." She stroked my hair the way she did when I was little.

"I'm going to miss you too," I faltered a moment at the familiar touch, but then something inside me told me to hurry. I was needed in the past.

I started down the photograph cluttered corridor and briefly examined the cherished photos and childhood memories. A picture of me from when I was probably two or three stopped me. I was at Bay Area Park in Houston and in the past. I was feeding the ducks and swans at the lake.

An image flickered in my mind and then I swooned.

My mother giggled, but then stopped short when she realize I had fainted and not just tripped.

"Bells, darling?! Are you okay?" She knelt beside me and took my wrist into her hands.

I smiled at her and took my arm from her. "Yes, Mom," I said while standing. "I am just a little excited." And it was true. I saw a glimpse of the future and I was no longer worried about the past. My future was in the past and I knew it would be great! "Let's go. He's waiting on me."

Mom tilted her head and looked at me as she rose from the floor. "Your father won't mind if you are late you know."

"Oh, I know that." I replied. _But he's not the he I'm thinking of_ I thought to myself with a smile.

Together my mom and I walked down the hall. I reached for hand and gave it a little squeeze. Love was in the air now and it felt glorious!

The End.


End file.
